When it comes to running a dental practice, few tasks are as complicated and time consuming as dealing with insurance. In fact, the average practice in the US spends about 12 employee hours per day working on verifying benefits and following up on claims. Surely, there are other ways to make the process simpler and more efficient. How can you reduce claim delays and get paid on time? Follow these essential tips!
Get and Use Correct Patient Information and CDT Codes
The entire claims process starts with having the patient’s information accurately documented. When you set the appointment, collect their personal information, insurance group and member numbers, and more. Also, you need to make sure your staff knows the most current CDT coding and what support documentation they need to include.
Any mistakes in this information can lead to denials and delays. Take the time to double check that everything is correct if you need to—it can avoid needing to do rework later.
Verify Insurance Benefits Before the Appointment
Before the patient arrives for their visit, reach out to the insurance company to confirm that the patient does indeed have benefits available. Also, getting a current breakdown can help you provide more accurate estimates of what the patient would owe out-of-pocket for certain treatment.
Without this reliable estimate, you may not only have to redo a claim but also call the patient afterward and ask for more money, which never sits well with anyone!
Submit Claims Daily, Not Weekly
If you don’t tackle insurance claims on a daily basis, they will stack up and quickly become overwhelming. In a stressed state, your staff members are more likely to make mistakes in their submissions, leading to delays. Plus, filing claims promptly better ensures on-time payment.
Outsource to Remote Dental Billing Support
Instead of trying to find or train someone to become an expert with dental insurance, you could turn to a company that has already assembled a team of experienced professionals. Outsourcing these complex and tedious responsibilities can make other in-office tasks easier to balance and do with a positive attitude, which creates a more welcoming atmosphere. Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the remote breakdown team can see to the details and focus on getting claims approved and paid.
No dental practice that works with insurance can succeed unless you take claims and delays seriously. When you follow these tips, you can not only see more efficiency and improvement in your office’s vibes but also in the amount in your practice’s bank account!
About Dental Support Specialties
With dozens of dental insurance experts, Dental Support Specialties excels in dealing with claims. We are experienced with various software suites and portals, so you likely won’t need to take time to train us. Striving to optimize your team, we work efficiently so that you can use your time on more important tasks like caring for patients. Would you like to learn more about our billing and verification services? Get in touch with us now to schedule your consultation!