Three insights:
1. Claim lag measures the time between the service date and when a claim is billed out. The advent of electronic claims processing made this action almost instantaneous, so it’s not a critical metric to track.
2. Charge lag, on the other hand, measures the time between receiving coding from a coding company and entering those charges. This metric is a greater opportunity for improvement than claim lag.
3. Ideally, charges should be entered the day of service. If the lag is greater than 48 hours — which is the gold standard — it’s important to look at variables that could be driving the increase, such as dictation turnaround or delays on the coding company’s end.
More articles on coding, billing and collections:
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The changing bundled payment landscape for ASCs — What to know about risk, payers & future trends
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