Today’s spotlight is on two KPIs that keep your revenue cycle moving: Charge Posting Timeliness and Payment Posting Timeliness.
Charge Posting Timeliness
What it measures:
How quickly charges are entered into the PM system after the date of service.
Why it matters:
Claims can’t be submitted until charges exist. Slow posting delays cash flow and clouds provider productivity reporting. Timely charges support accurate month-end performance.
Industry expectation:
Most high-performing groups post within 48–72 hours of service.
How to improve:
Use encounter reconciliation to prevent missed charges.
Monitor provider documentation lag.
Automate charge capture through EHR tools and coding workflows.
Payment Posting Timeliness
What it measures:
How quickly payments are posted into the system after they are received (ERA/EOB).
How long it took to get paid from the original date of service. This highlights payer responsiveness, delays, and trends in claims turnaround time.
Why it matters:
Denial workflows cannot begin until payments are posted.
Payment lags distort AR and delay financial reporting.
Helps identify slow-paying payers and operational bottlenecks.
Industry expectation:
ERAs posted within 24–48 hours; paper EOBs within 72 hours.
How to improve:
Enroll all possible payers in ERA/EDI.
Apply auto-posting rules for clean remittances.
Maintain daily deposit and posting queues to prevent backlog.
Every Date in the Claim Life Cycle Is Measurable
Every point along the claim journey creates its own measurable timeline. Each one highlights where delays or inefficiencies may be hiding.
You can track the number of days between:
Date of Service → Charge Entry (charge lag)
Charge Entry → Claim Submission (coding/charge review lag)
Submission → Payer Acceptance (clearinghouse or payer intake delays)
Acceptance → Payer Received Date (payer internal routing)
Received Date → Payment Date (payer processing time)
Date of Service → Payment Date (total days to collect)
Together, these metrics help you pinpoint exactly where slowdowns are happening—whether inside your organization, at the clearinghouse, or with a specific payer.
Each step shows where delays occur—provider lag, charge capture issues, clearinghouse delays, payer processing times, or posting backlogs.
Together, these metrics tell the true story of your revenue cycle’s speed and health.
