Sixty-nine percent of healthcare leaders reported increased insurance claim denials in a poll by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) last year. The average cost to rework each denied claim is $25.20. Claims denials must be effectively addressed to avoid missing timely filing deadlines and losing revenue. Over time, the cost adds up. Most claim denials can be avoided—if underlying administrative challenges are addressed.1 This blog post will help you understand and protect against a significant but lesser-known cause of claim denials. The industry considers the patient’s earliest interactions with the medical practice to mark the start of the revenue cycle. After all, this is when the practice obtains necessary information—such as key demographics, insurance payer, financial responsibility, and reason for visit—to set up a clinical appointment and prepare for billing of services.2 Not surprisingly, errors at the front desk are responsible for about half of all claim denials.3 However, is this underlying assumption correct? Are the first patient-practice interactions really the start of the revenue cycle?