FAQ
Payroll and "where's my money?"
Revenue can look fine while the account feels empty. These answers are for that gap.
Short. Plain. Pick the worry that sounds like your week.
Why can't I make payroll when revenue looks fine?
The P&L looks fine. Friday still feels tight. Visits happened. The money has not landed.
Revenue on the books is a promise. Payroll needs cash in the bank today. You can look busy and still be short if deposits lag the visits that earned them.
Where is my money if we already did the work?
The work was real. The deposit is not. It feels like the money vanished.
Most of it did not vanish. It is still moving: unbilled visits, claims sitting with insurance, patient balances on statements. The work finished. The cash has not.
How long should it take for a visit to become cash I can spend?
Nobody has given you one clear number. Delays feel like weather.
Put one number on it: days from the visit to money you can spend. Once you see that clock, the wait stops feeling random. Most of it sits in steps you control.
Why does cash feel tight in a "good" month?
The month looked good on paper. The account still felt thin.
A good month on the P&L can still starve the bank if money takes too long to land. Volume is not the same as deposits. Timing is usually the real tight spot.
Should I hire another biller before I panic?
The backlog is loud. Another hire feels like relief.
Not as the first move. Another biller makes you faster at the same rework. Know how many days of cash you have, and how long money takes to land, before you buy more hands.
Is this a slow month or are patients quietly leaving?
The calendar says slow. The chairs do not feel that simple.
"Slow month" can hide empty slots, no-shows, or patients who stopped coming back. Name what changed before you wait for next month to feel better.
Why did cash drop when the schedule still looks full?
The schedule looks full. Deposits fell anyway. It feels like the market.
A full schedule does not prove cash is still moving. Check whether visits got billed, claims left, and denials got worked before you blame demand. Most sudden drops have a step that stopped.
Am I covering shortfalls out of my own pocket without naming it?
Payroll cleared. Your personal account took the hit again. Nobody said it out loud.
Quiet top-ups, delayed draws, or transfers from home hide the real gap. Name it. If you keep covering it quietly, a banker or buyer will name it later on their terms.
Days in AR look fine. Why is payroll still late?
Aging looks fine. Friday still hurts. The report and the bank disagree.
Days in AR start after a claim exists. Payroll cares about the whole trip from visit to bank. An aging report can look fine while unbilled work and slow deposits still leave you short.
How do I know if this is a one-week scare or a real leak?
One bad week feels the same as a long leak when you are in it.
Compare bank, billed, and unfinished work on a simple rhythm. A scare spikes and recovers. A leak drifts the same way week after week. The pattern tells you which fire you are in.
Optional tools (no email gate): Cash Velocity Calculator · Cash Scorecard
Longer read: Medical practice cash flow: straight answers