Verifying Dental Patient Benefits Each Day
Verifying dental patient benefits is a truly important task for the dental administrative team. And this is a task that is also extremely challenging. It’s true that many dental patients don’t even realize who their insurance carrier is. And many times know absolutely nothing about their dental benefits!! A dental patient might even believe their medical insurance card is their dental insurance card. Or may even present an expired dental insurance card as their existing policy.
In fact, I’ve seen dental patients present a prescription savings card as their dental insurance card! And some patients even believe that as long as they have a plastic card with any type of medical symbol or address on it, they surely must have dental coverage as well! So, it pays to gather as much information as we can well in advance of an appointment. And verify any dental insurance benefits with a complete break down of benefits to reference when necessary!
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Verifying Dental Insurance Benefits Requires A Verification Form
Remember to scan a copy of the patient’s dental insurance card into their patient account just in case you need to reference this as well! It may just be needed later. Sometimes just one letter or number is incorrect in our dental software. One simple key-stroke error can cause a whole lot of problems. So, we want to be sure we have a point or reference for any necessary clarification.
Additionally, a completed insurance verification form is helpful when scanned into the patient’s account as well. If the office receives an explanation of benefits that is questionable, we have a point of reference to look at. Especially if we have a date on our insurance verification, and the representative’s name with whom we spoke. And this definitely can happen. Claims can be processed incorrectly. Or we might even be supplied with incorrect benefit information.
Go ahead and download my FREE dental insurance verification form today! You may want to add additional codes that are frequently used in your dental practice. This form provides a generic, basic template for you to get started.
Insurance Verification Form[65]
Verifying Dental Patient Benefits For New Patients
New patient insurance verification should begin as soon as possible. Verify new patient insurance information immediately. And it’s best to do this prior to an appointment. Especially if we are missing information or the patient has used most of their dental benefits for the year.
Take the time to make the call to their dental insurance carrier. Even when information is available on their insurance carrier’s website. Most likely, there will still be missing data that the office needs. The one time the dental office lets this slide is the one time it will be a regretted decision. Mark my words!
Verify Insurance For Existing Patients Too
Verifying dental patient benefits for existing patients is important as well. Especially if the office hasn’t seen a patient for 6-months. Or if it is a new benefit year, the entire plan could have changed. And hopefully, your office is using some automated systems within your dental software to help. Because there are just too many patients in your practices to do all of this manually!
Without solid technology and automation, the man-power is huge! And the administrative team needs to understand the language and lingo as well. Dental insurance benefits are tough to understand. There are many phrases and policy limitations to fully understand. Get all the help you need! We have advanced technology systems and automation today that are absolutely amazing! Take some of the load off your dental administrative team and put the tools and technology available to us to work for you today!
Take the load off the team and allow the technology to work for you!
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Verifying Dental Patient Benefits Is Risky Business
It’s true! Especially when the team must make every insurance phone call. And then update the insurance tables within the dental software. Here are 8 reasons why you may want to consider turning this project over to the professionals!
- The length of time the dental administrator takes on the phone with an insurance company to gather info (time it!)
- Frequent insurance plan changes
- Risk of misinformation from insurance representative
- Possibility of misunderstanding information communicated by the insurance representative
- Amount of time the dental administrative team needs to update insurance information & fee schedules within the software
- Incorrectly entered insurance benefits within the software causing global misinformation for patients
- Upset patients and loss of patient trust as a result of any of the above factors
- Increased accounts receivable issues
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Team Coaching & Training
Bring some one-on-one training to your team and even yourself! Whether you are an administrative person who would like some support or a dentist that wants to know more, I’m here for you! And one-on-one coaching is available via Zoom at a time that works for you. Let’s chat!
