Accounts Receivable (A/R) refers to what?

Accounts Receivable (A/R) refers to the money that a healthcare provider is owed for services rendered but has not yet been collected. This includes all outstanding bills for care provided to patients where payment has not yet been received. It essentially represents pending payments for services delivered and is part of the financial tracking of a healthcare organization.

When an A/R is mentioned, it highlights the financial aspect of the healthcare provider's operations, as they manage and track how much they are owed and follow up on those amounts for billing purposes. Monitoring A/R is critical for maintaining healthy cash flow and ensuring that the organization can continue to function effectively.

The other options do not accurately define A/R: the amount the hospital was paid represents cash flow rather than the receivables, cases that have been paid are no longer part of A/R, and denials, while they do affect revenue, do not represent outstanding payments but rather claims that have been rejected. Thus, the concept of A/R specifically ties to cases that remain unpaid, distinguishing it from other financial categories.