As a dentist and practice owner, you likely have a basic knowledge of billing and insurance. But it takes years of focused training and experience for professionals to become dental billing experts. For instance, you may not fully understand how dental and medical billing differ and when each one comes into play.
At Dental Practice Enhancement, our dental billing experts help dentists just like you to reach their full professional potential. When you outsource your billing and coding, you and your team can focus on your patients and their treatment, leaving the nitty gritty administrative matters to us. Like many of our satisfied clients, you may report financial gain, better office morale, and a greater sense of satisfaction among your team.
To learn more about how we can benefit your office, contact Dental Practice Enhancement today.
Dental Billing
Dental billing is the process of collecting for any services rendered. In some cases, like for elective cosmetic procedures, this simply means submitting bills to the patients themselves. In most cases, however, it means submitting a claim through an insurance company or government agency.
The steps of dental billing are as follows:
- Gathering personal and insurance information from the patient
- Verification of benefits, even before a patient receives service
- Assigning an appropriate code to the treatment received
- Submitting claims, along with any necessary documentation
- Resolving rejected or unpaid claims
- Billing the patient
- Recording payments received and assessing accounts receivable
Dental Coding
Dental coding is a key component of billing if you are seeking payment from an insurance company. Typically, dental billing experts will file a claim using CDT (Current Dental Terminology) codes. Each and every dental procedure is assigned a specific code. The American Dental Association maintains these codes, and changes them annually. It is vital for dental billing experts to stay up-to-date on the latest changes.
Medical Billing for Dental Care
Some procedures are actually filed using medical insurance, rather than dental insurance.These include procedures that are necessary because of oral or facial trauma. Medical insurance may also cover treatments that are required for an underlying systemic condition. And oral cancer biopsies are typically filed with medical insurance, as well. In these cases, dental billing experts will use CPT codes (used to designate services rendered) or ICD-10 codes (used to designate patient diagnoses). As with CDT codes, medical codes change every year.
Why You May Need Dental Billing Experts to Help
Dental billing and coding can be overwhelmingly complex. Dental billers must keep up with two different sets of codes and their yearly changes. And a mistake can cost your practice. Not only does it result in extra paperwork and disgruntled patients. It can even set you up for a charge of fraud. Fortunately, working with dental billing experts can be immensely helpful, especially if you and your team are feeling overwhelmed by administrative tasks.
Contact Dental Practice Enhancement Today
Our team has decades of experience with billing and coding. Contact us to find out if we are the right fit for your practice.
Reach us online or call (833) DPE – FOR – U.
