Free tool

First 72 hours checklist

Answer five questions and this produces an ordered checklist for your situation. Print it and work through it. The complete master checklist is published in full below the generator. No patient data. Categorical choices only.

First 72 hours checklist

Answer five questions and this produces an ordered checklist for your situation. Print it and work through it.

What happened?

Do you have the logins yet?

Do you bill Medicare?

Do you use a clearinghouse?

No patient data. Categorical choices only.

The complete master checklist

Every branch, published in full so the content stays visible and crawlable. The generator above only filters and reorders what is already here.

  1. 1. Make a complete list of every system the biller accessed (EHR, PM, clearinghouse, every payer portal, Availity, PECOS and your MAC portal, CAQH, bank, card processor).
  2. 2. Note which systems the biller was the named administrator on.
  3. 3. Export the user's audit log before disabling the account (45 CFR 164.308(a)(1)(ii)(D)).
  4. 4. Revoke access the same day. Change shared passwords, disable the account, remove from every portal (45 CFR 164.308(a)(3)(ii)(C)).
  5. 5. If sudden and no logins: start password resets; begin formal re-registration for lost-administrator portals (Availity).
  6. 6. If working notice: complete handover (second admin, payer quirks, open claims over 60 days, appeal process, payment plans).
  7. 7. Set a second administrator on every portal you can.
  8. 8. Confirm EFT deposits hit the correct account; check for changed banking or remittance details.
  9. 9. Pull every clearinghouse rejection report. Fix the obvious and resubmit.
  10. 10. Submit new clean claims daily from your EHR.
  11. 11. Post remittances so AR matches reality.
  12. 12. Re-attest CAQH for every provider (every 120 days).
  13. 13. Triage prior authorisations (pending, expiring, scheduled procedures without active auth).
  14. 14. If Medicare: begin PECOS enrolment if needed; file paper CMS-1500 while EDI is down.
  15. 15. Reconcile bank deposits against posted payments for the last three to six months.
  16. 16. Pull write-off and adjustments report by user; check refunds, credit balances, bank-detail changes.
  17. 17. Work claims by deadline, not by size. Closest to expiry first, then largest.
  18. 18. If a vendor left: send a written demand for your data today; consider paying a disputed invoice under protest to recover records fastest.

Educational reference only. Not legal, billing, or compliance advice. Verify every requirement against current HIPAA, CMS, and payer guidance before acting.