For many practices, revenue cycle backlogs are an evergreen problem — with too many accounts sitting idly in work queues instead of moving steadily from service to payment. What happens when practices fail to identify and address problems that lead to these backlogs? Often, inaction results in non-recoverable revenue. 

When work piles up, practices miss timely filing limits and appeal windows. And while short-term key performance indicators may look on track, the negative effects of revenue cycle backlogs become apparent a few months down the line as days in accounts receivable begin to increase and profit margins slowly erode.

One of the greatest risks posed by increasing revenue cycle backlogs is the delay in cashflow, which is especially concerning considering payers already have extended payment timelines. More than 40% of respondents to a recent survey said it takes two months or longer to receive reimbursement for services rendered, with Medicaid payments often stretching beyond six months. 

In this article, we’ll provide strategies to help practices — and the billers that service them — reduce the likelihood that revenue cycle backlogs will occur so they can stay on track with financial goals. 

While hiring additional staff might seem like the way to solve revenue cycle backlog issues, this approach isn’t necessarily the most effective solution. Instead, consider the following revenue cycle management strategies for claim submission backlog management:

While revenue cycle backlogs can occur mid cycle or even on the back end, backlogs almost always start before the claim is even created. To combat this, practices must:

Revenue cycle backlogs can occur at any time. However, backlogs may be more likely to occur when there are:

Cross-training staff and establishing temporary overflow support are critical for proactive claim submission backlog management. Also create and leverage backlog prevention checklists like this one for transitioning to a new EHR.

To prevent revenue cycle backlogs, consider automating routine evaluation and management (E/M) claims or directing them to junior staff. The main billing team should handle claims that need minor adjustments, while experienced specialists can focus on those involving prior authorizations or coordination between several payers.

For example, to mitigate revenue cycle backlogs, it’s important to stay on top of key performance indicators, including: 

To keep revenue moving and prevent revenue cycle backlogs, practices must capture charges, submit claims, work denials, and post payments daily instead of weekly or in batches a few times per week.

To improve claim submission backlog management, automate only high-confidence workflows to reduce exceptions, not create them. Automation that increases exception queues makes revenue cycle backlogs worse, not better. For more information, be sure to check out this guide on how to start automating your practice.

To reduce revenue cycle backlogs, establish clear documentation turnaround times, leverage incomplete chart alerts in the EHR, and link timely documentation to cashflow. 

Revenue cycle backlogs often start when payers quietly add documentation requirements, change authorization rules, or tighten medical necessity edits. To help prevent backlogs and improve claim submission backlog management, it’s critical to monitor denials, review payment variances, and perform short-cycle monitoring after major coding or policy updates. Taking these steps allows practices to adjust workflows and automation quickly — helping prevent small rule changes from cascading into widespread rework and revenue cycle backlogs.

If organizations assess staff performance by counting claims handled, calls made, or accounts closed, they might unintentionally discourage employees from finishing more complicated tasks — leading to backlogs. If the goal is to reduce revenue cycle backlogs, it’s important to focus on productivity metrics that measure:

Knowledge loss from staff turnover often causes revenue cycle backlogs, as payer rules and workflows become applied inconsistently. This results in more errors, exceptions, and stalled accounts that new staff struggle to resolve quickly. To combat problems related to staff turnover, practices can: 

As teams continue to operate near capacity in 2026 and beyond, revenue cycle backlogs may be harder to clear. Additionally, higher deductibles and coverage churn may mean more eligibility corrections, patient follow-up, and financial clearance issues — delays that push problems into billing and collections and add to downstream backlogs. 

The solution? It’s more critical than ever that practices incorporate early detection and rapid workflow adjustments as best practices. And creating a detailed plan for claim submission backlog management can help practices stay on track to meet revenue goals.