08 May Dental Billing Guidelines: 10 Best Practices to Follow
Advice on Dental Billing You Can Use
Revenue is the fuel that keeps your dental practice running, and you need to make daily dental billing a habit if you want to earn profits. But when you’re swamped with your practice’s responsibilities, it can be easy to lose track of the dollars and cents.
Pre-authorization is Vital
Pre-authorization is non-negotiable if you’re at all concerned about your dental practice’s health. Before you undertake a costly procedure, you need to be certain your patient’s insurance plan will reimburse it. A pre-authorization shields you and your patient from any surprises such as unexpected deductibles or claim denials; once you know the size of your patient’s co-payment, you can structure a payment plan. You don’t want to drive away patients with sticker shock.
Simplify Your Payment Process to Your Advantage
Not all patients are comfortable with online payments or paying over the phone. You have a better chance of getting paid on time if you offer payment options. Let your patients pay with cash, credit and debit cards, auto-payment on specified dates, an online payment portal, or automated phone payments available all day, every day. This could revolutionize your dental billing, since it’s challenging to collect outstanding patient balances.
Ask for Co-payments When Services Are Rendered
Instruct your staff to request payments the day of the appointment. Patients will appreciate the fact that you’re being upfront about their financial responsibilities and not setting them up for any surprises. Stress the importance of this approach with staff during your morning huddles, and your dental billing will become a lot easier.
Keep Current With CDT Code Changes
CDT codes are changing all the time—and accidentally using the wrong one can seriously mess up your claims submission. It’s imperative for dental billers to keep up to date with the latest code changes. This is where Medusind comes up—with our expertise in dental billing, we make it our job to stay current with the latest coding updates.
Learn Pertinent Medical-Dental Cross Codes
You use cross codes when you bill medical insurance for dental services. When a patient has dental services diagnosed as medically necessary, you bill the services to their medical insurance plan, rather than their dental insurance. Not using cross codes will lead to claim rejection and payment delay.
Ensure You Included Everything With Your Dental Claim
Consult a checklist when you submit a claim. Did you include all dental documentation that pertains to clinical notes, X-rays, periodontal charting, and past treatments? Double-checking your claims now will eliminate the hassle of submission and lost revenue.
Keep Up to Date With Each Insurer’s Unique Dental Billing Rules
Each of the insurance companies you deal with has a different set of requirements when it comes to supporting documentation and clinical notes and narratives necessary for the payment of a dental claim. But with Medusind on your side, we pursue every appeal.
Structure a Payment Plan for Patients
Give your patients payment options, such as a scheduled payment plan, backed by autopay or a monthly due date. This will hasten revenue flow into your practice.
Shrink Your Overdue Accounts Receivables Down to Zero
There’s only one way to reduce your AR—and that’s by following up on claims consistently and persistently. Once your accounts receivable hit the 90-day overdue mark, you’re in trouble.
Get in Touch with Medusind
Your staff isn’t trained in all the intricacies of dental billing—but we are. With over 20 years of experience in the healthcare billing field, Medusind is recognized as a national leader in dental billing. Let your staff focus on their primary focus—delivering outstanding patient care—and let us pick up the slack when it comes to making sure your claims get paid.
