2.1% Denial Rate · Included in Every Service Tier · No Extra Charge

Denial Management That Gets to 2.1% — And Stays There

The industry average denial rate is 8–12%. Most practices accept this as normal. We don't. Our denial management service doesn't just fix denied claims — it eliminates the patterns that cause them.

2.1%
Our denial rate
8–12%
Industry average
97%
Appeal success rate
90 days
To reach target rate
Denial Rate by Source
Industry Average10.2%
Typical Outsourced Biller6.1%
RCMAXIS (Year 1)3.8%
RCMAXIS (Steady State)2.1%
Average across 340+ providers. Individual results vary by specialty and payer mix.
Every Category of Denial — Caught, Appealed, and Prevented
Medical claim denials fall into 6 major categories. Each one requires a different fix strategy. We manage all of them.
📋
Authorization / Pre-cert

Missing or Incorrect Authorization

Payer required prior authorization wasn't obtained, or the auth on file doesn't match the procedure billed. We track auth requirements by payer and procedure proactively.

~24% of denials
🔢
Coding Errors

Incorrect CPT, ICD-10, or Modifier

Unbundling violations, wrong modifier, missing specificity in diagnosis codes, or CPT/ICD-10 combination not supported. Our coders review every claim before submission.

~22% of denials
👤
Eligibility / Coverage

Patient Not Eligible on DOS

Insurance lapsed, wrong plan billed, or patient has secondary coverage not billed. We verify eligibility 48 hours before the appointment and again at claim submission.

~21% of denials
📆
Timely Filing

Claim Submitted Outside Filing Window

Every payer has a timely filing deadline — from 90 days to 1 year. We track filing windows by payer and submit within 5 business days of service for all new claims.

~14% of denials
📄
Medical Necessity

Service Not Medically Necessary

Payer's clinical criteria not met or not documented. We identify medical necessity requirements per payer and flag documentation gaps before the claim goes out — not after the denial arrives.

~12% of denials
📬
Coordination of Benefits

COB / Primary vs Secondary Billing

Primary payer not billed first, or secondary claim submitted without primary EOB. We manage COB sequencing for all multi-payer patients automatically.

~7% of denials
Catch. Appeal. Prevent. — In That Order.
Most billing companies are reactive — they work denials after they arrive. We work upstream to prevent them. Here's how all three phases work together.
1
Phase 1 — Catch

Stop Denials Before Submission

We scrub every claim against payer-specific edits before it leaves the system. Our 98.4% first-pass clean claim rate reflects what happens when you catch errors at the source.

Claim scrubbing against payer-specific rule sets
Eligibility verification at submission (not just scheduling)
Auth requirement check by payer + CPT combination
Modifier and bundling logic validation
ICD-10 specificity and medical necessity flag
2
Phase 2 — Appeal

Chase Every Denial With a Full Appeal

When a claim is denied, we don't accept it. Every denied claim gets reviewed, categorised, and appealed with payer-specific documentation — within 48 hours of the denial ERA.

Denial reviewed within 24 hours of ERA receipt
Denial code categorised (CO, PR, OA, PI) and root cause assigned
Level 1 appeal with documentation submitted within 48 hours
Level 2 appeal escalated if Level 1 denied
Peer-to-peer review requested for medical necessity denials
3
Phase 3 — Prevent

Eliminate the Pattern, Not Just the Claim

A single denied claim is a mistake. The same denial five times is a pattern. We track denial trends by payer, CPT, and provider — and update our processes to close the loop permanently.

Monthly denial trend analysis by payer and code
Root cause report delivered with each monthly KPI package
Payer rule updates tracked and applied to claim templates
Coder-level feedback loop on recurring error patterns
Quarterly payer contract review for underpayment patterns
Top Denial Reasons — and How We Fix Each One
Based on aggregate data across our 340+ provider network. These are the denials we see most often — and consistently eliminate.

Top Denial Categories Managed by RCMAXIS

Per our provider network, 2025–2026
Denial Reason
Share of Denials
Our Fix
Typical Outcome
Missing prior authorization
24%
Auth tracking matrix by payer + CPT; proactive auth before service
Prevented at source
Coding / modifier error
22%
Pre-submission scrub; coder review on high-risk CPT combinations
Prevented at source
Eligibility / benefits issue
21%
270/271 eligibility check at 48h pre-service and at submission
Prevented at source
Timely filing exceeded
14%
5-day submission SLA; timely filing tracker by payer window
Prevented at source
Medical necessity not supported
12%
Pre-submission necessity check; peer-to-peer escalation on denial
97% appeal success
Duplicate claim
4%
Claim ID cross-reference check before resubmission
Prevented at source
COB / primary not billed first
3%
COB verification at eligibility check; correct sequencing enforced
Prevented at source
What to Expect in Your First 90 Days
We don't promise instant results — but the trajectory is predictable. Here's what practices typically see.
Days 1–14

Baseline Assessment & Quick Wins

We audit your current denial queue and identify the top 3 denial reasons by volume. Easy wins — eligibility errors, missing modifiers — are corrected immediately. Existing denied claims begin the appeal process.

⬆ First appeals submitted within 48 hours
Days 15–30

Process Corrections Take Effect

Pre-submission edits are configured for your payer mix. Auth tracking matrix is live. First-pass acceptance rate on new claims begins climbing. You receive your Week 4 baseline KPI report.

⬆ First-pass rate typically improves 15–25%
Days 31–60

Denial Rate Drops Materially

As corrected processes compound, denial rate falls toward the 4–5% range for most practices. Appeal revenue begins posting — recovered claims from the first 30 days hit your bank account.

⬇ Denial rate typically drops 40–60% from baseline
Days 61–90

Steady-State 2.1% Target Reached

With systematic prevention in place, denial rate stabilises at or below 2.1% for most specialties. Monthly trend reports confirm root causes have been closed. 90-day performance review delivered.

✓ 2.1% denial rate achieved for most practices
We Manage Denials Across Every Major Payer
Each payer has different denial reason codes, appeal timelines, and documentation requirements. Our team knows them all.
Medicare (Part B)
Medicaid (all states)
UnitedHealthcare
Anthem / BCBS
Aetna
Cigna
Humana
Molina Healthcare
Centene / WellCare
Magellan Health
Tricare
VA Community Care
Medicare Advantage
Oscar Health
Bright Health
All Regional BCBS Plans

Find Out Your Current Denial Rate — For Free

Our free $1,500 revenue audit includes a full denial pattern review: your top denial reasons by payer, CPT code, and provider — with a root cause attribution report and projected recovery.