Is Recourse better than HaloMD?
Not at Blue Cross Texas. HaloMD won 96% of those lines in 2025. Recourse is built for groups with mixed payers that want the whole claim feed screened and disputes batched to the cap.
Federal IDR vendor comparison
Recourse vs HaloMD: 2026 comparison
HaloMD is the stronger choice for emergency groups whose disputes are mostly with Blue Cross Texas, where it won 96% of lines in 2025. Recourse is the broader choice for groups with a mixed payer list, especially when teams want the whole claim feed screened, disputes batched to the cap, and an ask built for each payer.
2025 CMS federal IDR public use files · Closing-year basis
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2025 CMS data. Market = every other filer, HaloMD left out.
Gap column: green is better for the provider, red is worse.
| Metric | HaloMD | Market | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Win rateShare of decided lines the provider won | 89% | 86% | ▲ 3 pts |
| Win rate at Blue Cross Texas38% of HaloMD's 2025 lines | 96% | 84% | ▲ 12 pts |
| Win rate off Blue CrossEvery payer outside the Blue Cross family | 82% | 86% | ▼ 4 pts |
| Lost by defaultMissed a deadline or a fee. A loss with no hearing. | 0.7% of disputes | 2.0% | ▼ 1.3 pts |
| Line items per disputeMore lines per dispute spreads the arbiter fee | 2.3 | 2.7 | ▼ 0.4 |
| Arbiter fee per line itemIDRE fee. The loser bears it. | $498 | $435 | ▲ $63 |
Recourse: ask and evidence built per payer, every deadline tracked in software, disputes batched to the 50-line cap. Pricing for both is contingency; see below.
Where each is strong
Where HaloMD is strong
- Blue Cross Texas. 361,000 lines in 2025 at a 96% win rate. Every other filer won 84% there.
- Defaults. Lost 0.7% of disputes by default. Market 2.0%.
Where Recourse is strong
- Whole feed screened. Recourse checks every claim for eligibility and automates the filing, so small eligible claims are not skipped for being too small to work by hand.
- Batched to the cap. Recourse packs disputes to the federal rule. HaloMD ran 2.3 line items per dispute in 2025 against a market of 2.7, and the arbiter fee on its disputes was $498 per line against a $435 market median.
- Ask built per payer. HaloMD won 96% at Blue Cross Texas and 78% at UnitedHealthcare. Recourse builds the ask for each payer from CMS data.
What the numbers say
Whose numbers are they. HaloMD's 89% win rate is real, and above the 86% market. But 38% of its 2025 lines were Blue Cross Texas, where it won 96%. Off the Blue Cross family it won 82%. The market won 86%. At UnitedHealthcare it won 78% (market 85%). At Anthem, 81% (market 89%). HaloMD asks more at those payers and its awards still beat the market there, so read it as a different strategy, not a weaker one.
Line items and fees. HaloMD filed 2.3 line items per dispute. The market filed 2.7. 87% of HaloMD client NPIs with 20 or more disputes averaged fewer line items per dispute than the market. The arbiter fee is charged per dispute, so fewer lines per dispute means more fee per line: $498 against $435 for the market. The winner gets the fee back; the loser bears it. From November 2026 the rule widens what can be batched, with a 50-line cap.
How you work with it. HaloMD describes its service as: providers submit disputes through its portal, it assesses eligibility, and it builds a strategy for each dispute. Recourse screens the whole claim feed and automates the filing, so the bar for what's worth filing drops.
Pricing
Both are contingency. Neither publishes a rate. Ask three things: the rate, whether it's charged on the award or on cash collected, and who pays the fees on a loss.
Which one
Choose HaloMD if you're an emergency group in Texas and most of your disputes are with Blue Cross.
Choose Recourse if your payer list is mixed, you want disputes batched to the cap, or you want the whole claim feed screened rather than a submitted list.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between Recourse and HaloMD?
HaloMD is the largest federal IDR filer. Providers submit disputes through its portal and its team manages them. Recourse runs federal IDR in software, screens your whole claim feed, and builds the ask from payer-level CMS data. Both are contingency.
Which is cheaper, Recourse or HaloMD?
Neither publishes a rate. In 2025 CMS data the arbiter fee on HaloMD's disputes was $498 per line item, above the $435 market median, because it files fewer lines per dispute. The winner gets that fee back. Total cost depends on the rate and who pays fees on losses.
Can Recourse replace HaloMD?
Yes for federal IDR. Recourse handles intake, eligibility, negotiation, filing, evidence and determination. If most of your disputes are with Blue Cross Texas, compare HaloMD's record there first.
Who should choose HaloMD instead?
Emergency groups whose disputes are mostly with Blue Cross Texas. HaloMD won 96% of 361,000 lines there in 2025.
Sources
- CMS Federal IDR Public Use Files, 2025 Q1–Q4. HaloMD rows identified by filer email domain (halomd.com). Market = every other filer.
- CMS Federal IDR report, H2 2025 (22 Jul 2026): HaloMD 19% of initiations in Q3 and Q4 2025.
- recoursehealth.com/methodology.
- halomd.com.
See the sibling comparison: Recourse vs Pivotal Health.
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