FAQ
Straight answers.
Clear answers before the clock starts.
What does it cost?
Nothing up front.
Nothing if we recover nothing. We pay every arbitration fee ourselves. When money comes in, we keep a share of the increase we won for you: you keep 80%, our share is 20%. See what you get back.
What does my staff have to do?
Effectively nothing.
One call and one signature from you. We set up the connection ourselves, read-only, and pull claims from there. No exports, no logins, and no new queue for your billers. See the process.
Can you change anything in our system?
No. Read-only, period.
We can see claims. We cannot alter, delete, or post anything. Your billing system stays exactly as it is. How the connection works.
What if our billing team posts a payment late?
It costs you nothing.
The federal deadline runs from the day you received the insurer’s payment or denial, and that date is on the remittance itself. If it is in your system, catching the deadline is our job, not yours. The rule is 45 CFR § 149.510.
When would we see money?
Usually four to six months, then continuously.
Open negotiation runs 30 business days, the arbitrator has 30 business days to decide, and the insurer has 30 calendar days to pay. We track every one of those clocks so you never have to. Actual timing varies by claim, payer, and arbitration queue, and we do not guarantee it. Step by step.
Will this hurt our insurer relationships?
It should not.
Arbitration and network contracting are separate departments at every major insurer, and this is the process federal law built for exactly this situation. We set limits with you up front and pause on any insurer you are actively negotiating with. You stay in control.
How does this affect our payment posting?
It doesn’t.
Every arbitration payment arrives with a file that tells your posters exactly what it is and which claim it belongs to. No new codes, no workflow change, and no guessing.
What kinds of claims can use federal IDR?
Eligibility depends on factors including plan type, service type, dates, geography, notice and consent status, state law, and timing. Astra screens the facts before recommending a filing.
Is every out-of-network underpayment eligible?
No, and we tell you which ones are.
The federal process covers emergency care, out-of-network care at in-network facilities, and air ambulance under commercial and employer plans. Medicare and Medicaid are excluded, and some claims fall under state law instead. We screen every claim, file the ones that qualify, and show you the rest.
Can we cancel?
Any time, for any reason.
No term, no notice period, no penalty. We finish the claims we have already filed and get paid on those, and that is the end of it. Ask us anything.
Is our data safe?
Yes.
A signed BAA before any data moves. Read-only access. Encrypted in transit and at rest. A U.S.-based team only. Your claims never leave the process they’re in. See the security detail.
Do you need patient data for the first conversation?
No. The initial intake asks only for organization and portfolio-level context. A BAA and secure transfer process should be in place before PHI moves.
Can Astra work with our billing company?
Yes. The model is designed for provider groups, facilities, billing companies, and RCM platforms that can produce consistent claim and remittance data.
Do you guarantee eligibility or recovery?
No one honest can.
Eligibility is decided under federal rules and every claim is different. What we do commit to is the deal: nothing up front, nothing if nothing comes in, and every arbitration fee paid by us. Providers won about 85% of decided disputes in the second half of 2025, a national figure rather than a prediction for your claims.
Are you a law firm?
No.
Astra IDR is an arbitration and revenue recovery company. We do not give legal advice or represent anyone in court. What we do is run the federal dispute process end to end, and we are built for nothing else.