2026 Medical Billing Benchmark Report — Free Download

This is a data study of the revenue-cycle key performance indicators AMS Solutions delivers for its medical-practice clients, benchmarked against national industry references. It answers one question: how does your practice’s billing actually stack up?

Every AMS figure below reflects performance measured across our active client book — clean-claim acceptance, denial and net-collection rates, days in accounts receivable (A/R), aged A/R, and first-pass resolution. Industry reference points are drawn from published MGMA and HFMA revenue-cycle benchmarks (2025). Where a direct comparison exists, it is shown side by side. Nothing here is gated — the full report is a free download at the bottom of the page.

The six benchmarks at a glance

Metric	AMS clients	Industry reference (MGMA / HFMA, 2025)
Clean claim rate (accepted on first submission)	95%+	~75–85% typical
Denial rate	<5%	~8% (industry runs 5–10%)
Days in A/R	30–40 days	Best-practice target <40 days
A/R over 90 days	<10%	~13.5% (MGMA average)
Net collection rate	96%	~95% best practice
First-pass resolution	90%+	90%+ within a week = best practice

AMS figures reflect measured client performance; industry references are national benchmarks from MGMA and HFMA (2025).

1. Clean claim rate — 95%+

Share of claims accepted by the payer on the first submission, with no rework. AMS clients clear 95 or more of every 100 claims on the first pass, versus a typical industry range of about 75–85%.

When 95 of every 100 claims clear on the first pass, denials stop being a daily fire drill and become the rare exception.

2. Denial rate — under 5%

Share of claims denied by payers. The industry average sits near 8% (MGMA), with many practices running 5–10%. AMS clients hold denials below 5% — scaled to a 0–12% axis below.

Cutting denials from the industry’s ~8% to under 5% means roughly one claim in twenty needs rework instead of one in twelve.

3. Days in accounts receivable — 30–40 days

Average number of days it takes to collect payment after a service is billed. AMS keeps clients in the 30–40 day range, inside the best-practice target of under 40 days (axis scaled to 0–50 days).

Money that lands in 30 to 40 days is money you can actually run a practice on.

4. A/R over 90 days — under 10%

Share of receivables still unpaid more than 90 days out — the money most likely to be written off. The MGMA average is about 13.5%; AMS clients keep it under 10% (axis scaled to 0–20%).

Keeping aged A/R under 10% means far less revenue is quietly slipping toward write-off.

5. Net collection rate — 96%

Share of collectible revenue actually collected, after contractual adjustments. AMS clients average 96%, at or above the ~95% figure widely treated as best practice.

A 96% net collection rate says the practice is capturing nearly every dollar it is contractually owed.

6. First-pass resolution — 90%+

Share of claims fully resolved on the first pass, billed within 3–5 days of service. AMS clients hit 90% or better — the mark best-practice guidance sets for a fast, clean revenue cycle.

Billing a claim within 3 to 5 days of service is the single biggest lever on how fast you get paid.

What the gap is worth: a worked example

Consider a cardiology practice billing $250,000 a month. At the industry-typical 8% denial rate, roughly $20,000 a month is tied up in denied claims — leakage that often ages out and is written off. Cutting the denial rate to 4% recovers on the order of $120,000 a year. That is the practical difference a few percentage points of billing performance makes.

Illustrative example for scale; actual results vary by specialty, payer mix, and contract terms.

Data you can trust

AMS Solutions has run medical billing and revenue-cycle management for U.S. practices since 1992. Our operations are HIPAA-compliant and staffed by AAPC-certified coders. The AMS figures on this page reflect measured performance across our client book; the industry reference points come from published MGMA and HFMA revenue-cycle benchmarks (2025).