Dental Front Desk Wednesdays: Insurance Follow-Up
Dental front desk Wednesdays are my day to call on unpaid insurance claims. And did you know, I work through my entire outstanding insurance aging each month? No matter what size practice I work in! Because there just isn’t much in that report to do. That doesn’t happen by accident. It comes through dedication, discipline, and systematically working them. I’m on it! And you can be too!
Would you like to have absolutely no claims in the over 90 day category? And perhaps just a handful in the over 60 days? Let’s do it! And all you need to do is make some phone calls. Call on every claim that is outstanding over 30 days to find out why. Why is that claim not paid? There are a couple of things that can go wrong!
Insurance Websites
Some dental insurance websites list claims and payment. However, it’s often limited information. But this is a great way to check on claim status. We can quickly tell if a claim was received. Perhaps we can see if a claim was processed. And maybe even read the amount paid. But that doesn’t mean the check was sent. Therefore, I encourage phone call follow-up on unpaid claims over 30 days. Even if I can see the claim is in process.
There are some things I want to know and document. Like, when will that check be mailed? And if the claim is still in process, why? Is there additional information necessary. Did an electronic attachment get lost along the way? Or is the x-ray an issue? Whatever the hold up is, I want to fix it. And document when that claim is expected to be paid. Because checks have also been know to disappear in the mail!
Automate Patient Benefits, History, Claims & More!
Dental Front Desk Wednesdays Claims List
Here is the list of which claims I call on each Wednesday of every month.
- First Wednesday of each month = Unpaid Claims Over 90 Days
- Second Wednesday of each month = Unpaid Claims Over 60 Days
- Third Wednesday of each month = Unpaid Claims Over 30 Days
- Fourth Wednesday of each month = Unpaid Claims Over 30 Days
Yes, I have the over 30 days twice! And that’s because it’s the largest number of unpaid claims for me. However, you may want to revisit your over 90 days. Or perhaps you have more unpaid claims over 60 days. Do what works for you and adjust as necessary. And as time goes on, you may find the need to change this again. Nothing is set in stone. It’s just what works for me.
Need Help?
Do you or your team need help with claim management? Don’t outsource this task! I highly recommend you keep it under your control and close observation. Train yourself and your team members well. And you’ll be so glad you did. There are resources available to you here that will take you where you want to go. To a collection rate of 100%!
Additional help is just an email away! Not sure where to begin or which products or services are right for you? Ask away!
