Dental Office Day End Charge Review
Dental office day end is a busy time. And everyone is tired and ready to go home! But wait! Because we must have a clean closure. And there are a few things to double check and review.
So, it’s a good idea to start this process early. And not wait for the very last minutes of our dental office day. But rather, review and double check as we move through the day. This way we have only a few things to finish up when that whistle blows. And we can lock our doors with a great sense of accomplishment!
What Exactly to Check
Posted charges are the first thing to check. As we move through our day, every patient’s ledger gets a second glance. Is the provider number correct? Do the charges line up with the patient chart notes? Keep a close eye on things like x-rays! These little charges are easily missed. Especially if there are additional x-rays involved.
Half-Time Review
I like to review the morning’s posted procedures just before lunch. And I call this my half-time review. This allows clinicians time to also review the procedures posted by them. As there may be times when a clinician realizes they forgot to add a fluoride charge or an x-ray.
Or perhaps an exam is posted to a patient ledger but wasn’t actually performed. Give everyone time to double check their work. And then triple check!
Double-Check the Morning Charges
Ask if there are any questions or unclear procedure postings. And just before lunch is a great time to do this for the morning procedures. Because we want our clinicians to remember with ease what they’ve done for each patient.
And if we wait too long, it can be more stressful for everyone. So, a great practice is the half-time review for both the procedures and payments as well.
Dental Office Day End Payment Review
Run a day sheet or deposit form at the end of each day. And balance the payments collected against the payments posted. It’s common for there to be mistakes. Don’t be too hard on yourselves.
A payment is easily posted to the wrong provider perhaps. Or maybe a payment isn’t posted to a patient account at all. We just want to know that every penny is accounted for by the end of the day.
Lots to Get Right!
Payment types might be incorrect. And yes, this absolutely matters. A check payment might be recorded as a cash payment. Sometimes, we can even post to the wrong account entirely.
So that is one more thing to check. Is the payment on the right account? Is the correct provider credited for the payment? All important details here!
Insurance Payments & Adjustments
Our final day end reports show all insurance payments and adjustments. When I post an insurance payment and make an adjustment, I double check it immediately. Because I do not to have to search for an error later.
I close out the account, look away and take a breath. Just enough of a break to reset my brain. And then I look at the account and the explanation of benefits one more time. If all is well, I move onto the next insurance payment.
Leave Reports & Notes for Your Doc
Leave final day end reports for your docs. This should include your adjustments too. And I encourage all docs to compare the printed reports to your own screen views or printed reports.
Docs and practice managers always want to be sure they are looking at more than what they are handed to review. Just to be safe, be on the look-out for something that is missed or covered up.
Create Better Dental Office Days
Weekly management systems walk the dental front desk through every day with ease! Day by day, make every dental office day a breeze! Reduce stress. Create consistency. Build better daily habits and complete all the tasks you need to!
All overdue accounts are worked each month. All unpaid dental claims are followed up on. And every unscheduled hygiene patient hears from the office. Yes! Each and every month!
