{"id":1920,"date":"2022-11-16T15:54:39","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T15:54:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dentalsupportspecialties.com\/blog\/?p=1920"},"modified":"2022-12-08T15:54:56","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T15:54:56","slug":"avoid-3-illegal-dental-billing-practices-trouble","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dentalsupportspecialties.com\/blog\/2022\/11\/16\/avoid-3-illegal-dental-billing-practices-trouble\/","title":{"rendered":"Avoid These 3 Illegal Dental Billing Practices That Could Get You into Trouble"},"content":{"rendered":"
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You\u2019re going about your normal day when suddenly you receive notice that you\u2019re being sued\u2014you have legal problems now. Have you been completely honest and truthful in your dental billing<\/a> practices? Will they help you in your legal situation?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a small business owner, you need to be aware of what is and isn\u2019t legal, especially in your billing paperwork. Keep reading to learn about 3 illegal practices and how they can harm your business.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

How Illegal Practices Can Hurt Your Business<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Doing anything illegal is never good for a business\u2019s reputation, but it can be especially damaging for a dental practice. Patients put a lot of trust in you and your team, both clinically and ethically. In addition to costing you a lot of money to resolve, legal trouble could cause patients to lose confidence in your practice and choose another dental team. After all, once trust is broken, it takes a long time to recover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illegal Practice #1: Changing the Seat Date<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, in an effort to help a patient save on out-of-pocket costs, a team member will edit the seat date on the claim to make sure insurance pays more. In spite of good intentions, this practice is illegal. Regardless of whether the patient has met the annual maximum, when their insurance benefits reset, or what time of year it is, your team needs to put the correct seat date so that the records are completely accurate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Illegal Practice #2: Incorrect or Missing Information in Clinical Notes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most of the time, this error is unintentional, but it can have legal consequences as well as create roadblocks in the billing process. Your clinical notes need to have all the following necessary information so that insurance claims can be successfully processed:<\/p>\n\n\n\n