For medical practices, clinics and allied health
You saw the patient today. Medicare can't pay that claim for at least two weeks.
A practice pays its staff, its equipment and its software before payers settle the claim, and federal law sets a floor on how soon Medicare can pay. The Business Funding Club is a free referral club that sends practices, clinics, chiropractors and physical therapists to ROK Financial. ROK and the lenders it matches you with review each request and make every funding decision.
A referral club, free to apply. ROK Financial and its lenders review every request and make all funding decisions. How we’re compensated.
Prefer to go straight to the funder? You can apply on ROK's own site. It carries our referral ID.
The math
The math
- DAY 0
You see the patient
Staff, supplies and the room are already paid for. You have up to one calendar year from the date of service to file the Medicare claim[1], but every day you wait is a day longer you carry the cost.
- DAYS 1 TO 13
You bill, and wait
Medicare may not pay an electronic claim within 13 days of receipt, or a paper claim within 28 days[2].
- BY DAY 30
You get paid
Medicare contractors must pay at least 95 percent of clean claims within 30 days[2]. In North Carolina, a commercial health plan has 30 days to pay, deny or ask for more information[3].
That wait is the normal shape of payer-based care, not a sign of trouble. It grows when the practice grows: a new provider, a second location or a new service line adds payroll weeks before its claims are paid. A clean claim is paid first, so the gap is partly a billing question and partly a cash question.
By Marcus L. Barber, Publisher · Reviewed by Marcus before publishing · Updated · How we write and check facts
Where the cash goes before the claim pays
- Staff. Medical assistants, front desk, billers and clinicians are paid every pay period.
- Equipment. Exam tables, diagnostic and imaging equipment, chiropractic tables and therapy equipment.
- EHR and billing software. Licenses, setup and the training time that comes with a switch.
- A new provider or location. Payroll and rent start before the new schedule produces paid claims.
Staffing is the largest pressure. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of medical assistants to grow 13 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 109,700 openings a year, and 56 percent work in physicians' offices[4]. It projects physical therapist employment to grow 12 percent over the same decade[5], and chiropractor employment 9 percent[6]. Chiropractors who run their own practice also handle marketing, hiring staff and keeping records[6].
Software is not optional anymore. In 2024, 95 percent of office-based physicians had adopted an EHR, and 91 percent a certified EHR[7]. Replacing one is a real project with a real cost.
Payer timelines, in one place
| Rule | What it says | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Medicare payment floor, electronic | No payment within 13 days of receipt | [2] |
| Medicare payment floor, paper | No payment within 28 days of receipt | [2] |
| Medicare clean claims | At least 95 percent paid within 30 days | [2] |
| Medicare filing limit | No later than 1 calendar year after the date of service | [1] |
| New Medicare enrollment | May bill up to 30 days before the effective date, if circumstances kept you from enrolling first | [8] |
| NC commercial health plans | 30 days to pay, deny or ask for more information | [3] |
| NC, after more information | 30 days after the plan receives it | [3] |
A clean claim is one with no defect or impropriety and nothing that needs special treatment[2]. Every rejected or pended claim falls out of that 30-day lane. For a new practice, enrollment timing matters too: Medicare's 30-day lookback is a limit, not a cushion[8].
Check your state
North Carolina is shown as one example. North Carolina's prompt-pay section excludes plans run by the state or federal Department of Health and Human Services, and other states set their own clocks[3].
What ROK will want to see
ROK's partner application lists at least 4 months in business and at least $10,000 in monthly gross sales, which is $120,000 a year[9]. Lenders commonly look at credit history, cash flow, equity and collateral[10]. For a practice, have these ready:
- Recent business bank statements that show payer deposits.
- A receivables aging by payer: Medicare, Medicaid, commercial and patient balances.
- Monthly charges and collections from your billing system.
- A vendor quote for any equipment or EHR, with install and training costs.
- For a new provider or location: the start date, the lease and the expected schedule.
Credit is one input among several. ROK and the lenders it matches you with review each request and make every decision. The Business Funding Club does not.
What fits, and what to ask first
Receivables financing needs care in health care. Medicare generally does not pay amounts due a supplier to anyone else under a reassignment, power of attorney or other direct arrangement[11]. If most of your receivables are Medicare claims, ask early whether a receivables-based product can work with your payer mix. A line of credit or equipment financing avoids that question.
Before you sign anything, ask how payments are collected. Payer deposits arrive in batches, and frequent automatic debits can land on the wrong days.
Financing that fits this kind of gap
Which one fits your business, if any, is a conversation to have with ROK’s advisor once they have seen your file. These are the types that usually come up.
- Business line of creditDraw to cover payroll while Medicare and commercial claims are in process, then pay it down as remittances post. It matches the claim cycle.How it works
- Equipment financingFor exam tables, diagnostic and imaging equipment, chiropractic tables and therapy equipment. The equipment is part of the deal, so payroll cash stays free.How it works
- SBA loansFor a second location, a buildout or buying a practice, where a longer repayment schedule matters.How it works
- Term loansFor a one-time project like an EHR change, paid back on a fixed schedule as the new system settles in.How it works
Common questions
How long does Medicare take to pay a clean claim?
Federal law says Medicare may not pay an electronic claim within 13 days of receipt, or a paper claim within 28 days, and contractors must pay at least 95 percent of clean claims within 30 days[2]. Claims with errors or that need special handling fall outside that clock, so clean billing is the first cash lever.
What do lenders look at for medical practice loans?
Lenders commonly look at credit history, cash flow, equity and collateral[10]. For a practice, a receivables aging by payer, monthly charges and collections, and bank statements that show payer deposits tell the story. ROK's partner application lists at least 4 months in business and $10,000 in monthly gross sales[9].
Can I finance medical equipment for a chiropractic or physical therapy clinic?
Yes, equipment financing is built for that kind of purchase, and ROK reviews each request. Bring a vendor quote with the model, delivery and install. Ask your tax preparer about Section 179, which lets a business elect to deduct eligible equipment in the year it is placed in service, within IRS limits[12].
Can I borrow against my Medicare receivables?
Be careful here. Medicare generally does not pay amounts due a supplier to anyone else under a reassignment, power of attorney or other direct arrangement[11]. That limits how receivables-based products can work with Medicare claims. A line of credit, sized to your claim cycle, avoids the issue. Ask ROK what fits your payer mix.
What does The Business Funding Club cost?
Nothing. The Business Funding Club is a free referral club. We are not a lender and not a broker. We send your application to ROK Financial. ROK and the lenders it matches you with review it and make every funding decision. If your practice is funded, ROK pays us a referral commission. You never pay the Club anything.
Sources
- 42 CFR 424.44, Time limits for filing claims Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), checked October 16, 2026
- Social Security Act, Section 1842 (Part B administration; prompt payment of claims) U.S. Social Security Administration, checked October 16, 2026
- N.C. Gen. Stat. 58-3-225, Prompt claim payments under health benefit plans North Carolina General Assembly, checked October 16, 2026
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Medical Assistants U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, checked October 16, 2026
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Physical Therapists U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, checked October 16, 2026
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Chiropractors U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, checked October 16, 2026
- Office-based Physician Electronic Health Record Adoption Assistant Secretary for Technology Policy / Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (HealthIT.gov), checked October 16, 2026
- 42 CFR 424.521, Request for payment by certain provider and supplier types Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), checked October 16, 2026
- Business Financing application (ROK Financial partner page) ROK Financial, checked October 16, 2026
- SBA lender resources: Partnering with SBA loan programs U.S. Small Business Administration, checked October 16, 2026
- 42 CFR 424.80, Prohibition of reassignment of claims by suppliers Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), checked October 16, 2026
- Publication 946 (2025), How To Depreciate Property Internal Revenue Service, checked October 16, 2026
Before you start
What ROK looks for.
Stated plainly so you don’t spend time on a form that isn’t built for your business yet. These are the minimums ROK lists on its partner application. Meeting them is the starting line, not a decision.
- 4 monthsminimum time in business
- $10,000minimum monthly gross sales
- U.S.based and operating
Credit history is one input among several. ROK reviews the whole picture: revenue, deposits, time in business, and what the money is for. What to have ready.
A referral club, free to apply. ROK Financial and its lenders review every request and make all funding decisions. How we’re compensated.
Prefer to go straight to the funder? You can apply on ROK's own site. It carries our referral ID.
Plainly
What we are, and what we are not.
We are a referral club. We introduce small businesses to ROK Financial. That's the whole service, and it's free to you.
We are not a lender and not a broker. We don't fund anything, we don't quote figures, and we don't negotiate on your behalf. If someone tells you what your financing will look like before ROK has reviewed your file, that person is guessing.
We are paid by ROK, not by you. When a business we refer gets funded, ROK compensates us. You are never charged a membership fee or an application fee, by us or by anyone acting for us. Full disclosure here.