diff --git a/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs b/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs
index 9dd2cb169..5bec058d1 100644
--- a/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/accounts_index.rs
@@ -184,6 +184,14 @@ impl<T: IndexValue> AccountMapEntryInner<T> {
         self.meta.dirty.store(value, Ordering::Release)
     }
 
+    /// set dirty to false, return true if was dirty
+    pub fn clear_dirty(&self) -> bool {
+        self.meta
+            .dirty
+            .compare_exchange(true, false, Ordering::AcqRel, Ordering::Relaxed)
+            .is_ok()
+    }
+
     pub fn age(&self) -> Age {
         self.meta.age.load(Ordering::Relaxed)
     }
diff --git a/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder_stats.rs b/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder_stats.rs
index 7d5de67ed..68d971c05 100644
--- a/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder_stats.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/bucket_map_holder_stats.rs
@@ -36,8 +36,7 @@ pub struct BucketMapHolderStats {
     pub get_range_us: AtomicU64,
     last_age: AtomicU8,
     last_age_time: AtomicU64,
-    pub flush_scan_us: AtomicU64,
-    pub flush_update_us: AtomicU64,
+    pub flush_scan_update_us: AtomicU64,
     pub flush_remove_us: AtomicU64,
     pub flush_grow_us: AtomicU64,
     last_time: AtomicInterval,
@@ -251,13 +250,8 @@ impl BucketMapHolderStats {
             ("keys", self.keys.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed), i64),
             ("ms_per_age", ms_per_age, i64),
             (
-                "flush_scan_us",
-                self.flush_scan_us.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed),
-                i64
-            ),
-            (
-                "flush_update_us",
-                self.flush_update_us.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed),
+                "flush_scan_update_us",
+                self.flush_scan_update_us.swap(0, Ordering::Relaxed),
                 i64
             ),
             (
diff --git a/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs b/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
index 1229be4ee..a5817116d 100644
--- a/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
+++ b/runtime/src/in_mem_accounts_index.rs
@@ -675,27 +675,36 @@ impl<T: IndexValue> InMemAccountsIndex<T> {
 
         // may have to loop if disk has to grow and we have to restart
         loop {
-            let mut removes = Vec::default();
+            let mut removes;
             let mut removes_random = Vec::default();
             let disk = self.bucket.as_ref().unwrap();
 
-            let mut updates = Vec::default();
-            let m = Measure::start("flush_scan");
             let mut flush_entries_updated_on_disk = 0;
             let mut disk_resize = Ok(());
             // scan and update loop
+            // holds read lock
             {
                 let map = self.map().read().unwrap();
+                removes = Vec::with_capacity(map.len());
+                let m = Measure::start("flush_scan_and_update"); // we don't care about lock time in this metric - bg threads can wait
                 for (k, v) in map.iter() {
-                    if v.dirty() {
+                    if v.clear_dirty() {
                         // step 1: clear the dirty flag
                         // step 2: perform the update on disk based on the fields in the entry
                         // If a parallel operation dirties the item again - even while this flush is occurring,
                         //  the last thing the writer will do, after updating contents, is set_dirty(true)
                         //  That prevents dropping an item from cache before disk is updated to latest in mem.
-                        v.set_dirty(false);
-
-                        updates.push((*k, Arc::clone(v)));
+                        // happens inside of lock on in-mem cache. This is because of deleting items
+                        // it is possible that the item in the cache is marked as dirty while these updates are happening. That is ok.
+                        disk_resize =
+                            disk.try_write(k, (&v.slot_list.read().unwrap(), v.ref_count()));
+                        if disk_resize.is_ok() {
+                            flush_entries_updated_on_disk += 1;
+                        } else {
+                            // disk needs to resize, so mark all unprocessed items as dirty again so we pick them up after the resize
+                            v.set_dirty(true);
+                            break;
+                        }
                     }
 
                     if self.should_remove_from_mem(current_age, v, startup) {
@@ -704,33 +713,12 @@ impl<T: IndexValue> InMemAccountsIndex<T> {
                         removes_random.push(*k);
                     }
                 }
-                Self::update_time_stat(&self.stats().flush_scan_us, m);
-
-                // happens inside of lock on in-mem cache. This is because of deleting items
-                // it is possible that the item in the cache is marked as dirty while these updates are happening. That is ok.
-                let m = Measure::start("flush_update");
-                for (k, v) in updates.into_iter() {
-                    if v.dirty() {
-                        continue; // marked dirty after we grabbed it above, so handle this the next time this bucket is flushed
-                    }
-                    if disk_resize.is_ok() {
-                        disk_resize =
-                            disk.try_write(&k, (&v.slot_list.read().unwrap(), v.ref_count()));
-                        if disk_resize.is_ok() {
-                            flush_entries_updated_on_disk += 1;
-                        }
-                    }
-                    if disk_resize.is_err() {
-                        // disk needs to resize, so mark all unprocessed items as dirty again so we pick them up after the resize
-                        v.set_dirty(true);
-                    }
-                }
-                Self::update_time_stat(&self.stats().flush_update_us, m);
-                Self::update_stat(
-                    &self.stats().flush_entries_updated_on_disk,
-                    flush_entries_updated_on_disk,
-                );
+                Self::update_time_stat(&self.stats().flush_scan_update_us, m);
             }
+            Self::update_stat(
+                &self.stats().flush_entries_updated_on_disk,
+                flush_entries_updated_on_disk,
+            );
 
             let m = Measure::start("flush_remove_or_grow");
             match disk_resize {