Your parent A/R is aging past 60 days. Here's the fix.
National ABA parent A/R averages 58 days. Healthy shops keep it under 35. If yours is past 60 days, the workflow is broken in identifiable ways. This page covers the 5 levers that pull parent A/R back under 35 days.
Why parent A/R kills ABA cash flow
High-deductible commercial plans + coinsurance share + parent paying out of pocket = parent owes money that gets billed via statement. Statements take 30-45 days to land + 30 days for response + 60 days for collection if no response. The cycle is structurally long. Active workflow shortens it.
Lever 1: collect at intake
Patient financial responsibility estimate at intake, signed payment agreement, credit card on file. Cuts downstream A/R by 40-60 percent because the collection happens at point of service, not 90 days later.
Lever 2: weekly statement cadence
Monthly statements add 30 days to every cycle. Weekly statements with clear remaining balance keep parents engaged + drive faster payment.
Lever 3: dedicated parent A/R specialist
Mixing parent A/R into the same workflow as payer A/R guarantees both suffer. Dedicated parent A/R specialist (or partner) with clear scripts + payment plan authority resolves balances 3x faster.
Lever 4: escalation calendar
Day 1: invoice. Day 14: friendly reminder. Day 30: phone call. Day 45: payment plan offer. Day 60: collections review. Day 90: charity care assessment or external collections. No escalation calendar means everything sits at day 30 forever.
Free parent A/R diagnostic
Send your last 90 days of parent A/R aging by client. We return a written diagnostic with cycle time analysis + 30-60-90 day recovery plan + projected balance reduction.
Don't wait. Get a senior partner on this.
ASP-RCM senior partners do same-day consultations on operational distress situations. 30 minutes. No SDR triage. Diagnostic conversation. You leave with a plan whether or not you engage us further.