Written By: Corey Chapman, VP of Client Services, SGS
Every year the same thing happens. Staff take time off, production slows for a few weeks, and the January backlog shows up right on schedule. Most leaders assume their holiday coverage plan will hold. The safer move is to check it before the holidays start and keep checking while people are out.
Set a baseline now
Pull your numbers while everyone is at full strength: days to bill, claims in the coding queue, suspended or held claims, and the age of your oldest unbilled trips. A baseline lets you see slippage in days instead of discovering it in January.
Map time off against the work
Lay the PTO calendar over your workflow and look for gaps. Half of the coding department is off Thanksgiving week. The only person who posts cash is out the week of Christmas. Two billers are gone at the same time. When those people are out, what stops?
Then protect current claims first. When current claims stall, today’s slowdown becomes next quarter’s backlog.
Keep checking while you are out
A plan on paper is not the same as a plan that is working. Check a short list of numbers weekly through the holidays, and decide in advance what level triggers action and who makes the call.
Carrying a backlog into 2027 means it competes with January volume and the usual post-holiday slowdown. You have options beyond waiting it out or adding headcount:
Keep your team on current claims and have outside help work the backlog.
Plug in support at one step, such as coding, billing, follow-up, or cash posting.
Add temporary coverage for the weeks key staff are out.
SGS and RevClarity work inside every part of the EMS revenue cycle and can step in wherever you need. Whichever route you take, decide in November, while there is still time to get caught up before year end.
