Probate estate recovery is the process of identifying deceased patients with open account balances and filing claims against their probated estates to recover owed funds. This involves searching probate court records nationwide, verifying dates of death, and filing timely claims before statutory deadlines. Healthcare organizations use this process to recover revenue that would otherwise be written off, while maintaining compliance with CMS regulations and treating families with sensitivity.

80% of healthcare costs are accrued in the months before a patient passes, creating significant outstanding balances. Without a proactive process, these claims are often missed entirely. Filing deadlines vary by jurisdiction from 60 days to 1 year, and if missed, the claim is barred forever, even if the estate has funds to pay. Manual processes are reactive, inconsistent, and expose organizations to CMS compliance risks during audits.

CMS requires healthcare organizations to demonstrate compliance, accountability, and sensitivity in estate recovery. During audits, organizations must produce estate search logs, supporting documentation, and evidence of a formalized probate recovery process showing they proactively searched for probated estates and filed timely claims. Without this documentation, organizations risk losing millions in reimbursement dollars.

The claim is usually barred forever, meaning the debt cannot be collected from the estate even if funds are available. Deadlines vary significantly by jurisdiction, ranging from as little as 60 days to 1 year from when the estate is opened. This makes proactive identification critical, as reactive processes often discover estates after the filing window has closed.

The annual rate of death for people over 60 will nearly double by 2055, dramatically increasing the volume of decedent accounts healthcare organizations must manage. Combined with rising end of life costs and a 10% increase in self pay over the last five years, organizations face a growing revenue recovery challenge that requires proactive technology solutions now.

DCM Services has over 25 years of specialized experience and partners with 46 of the top 50 health systems. Our proprietary database covers 10.2 million probate records across 3,400 plus courts with 50,000 new estates added monthly. In head to head tests, we find 3 times more probates than competitors with 0% false positives, compared to competitors' 42% false positive rates. Our Net Promoter Score of 87 is world class.

Recovery amounts vary by organization size and portfolio. In one case study, DCM Services found $37 million in total estates in just 5 days for a $2 billion annual net patient revenue health system, with 20% of accounts having a probated estate. Across all clients, we file over $1.2 billion in probate claims annually.