Unposted cash: paid claims that still look open
Does every deposit in your bank account show up as a posted payment, and how much has been sitting unposted or unapplied?
Money can reach your bank and still not reach your books. Payments get posted days or weeks late, and some insurance payments come in without being tied to an insurer or a claim, so they sit unapplied.
That costs more than it looks. Paid claims still show as open, so A/R looks bigger than it is. Staff chase claims that were already paid. Real denials hidden in those remits go unworked, and recent months look worse than they were until posting catches up.
Where it hides
- Payments received but posted weeks later.
- Insurance payments posted with no insurer or claim attached.
- Cash reports that count by the date a payment was posted instead of the date the money came in.
Warning signs
- Last month's cash keeps rising for weeks after month end.
- Cash by insurer doesn't add up to total deposits.
- There's an unapplied balance nobody owns.
- Staff work claims that turn out to be paid already.
One question to ask your billing team
Who matches bank deposits to posted payments, and how often?
What fixing it gets you
A/R you can trust, cash reported in the right month, and staff time spent on claims that actually need it.