Reading Dental Insurance Cards With Ease
Reading dental insurance cards is a daily dental office task. And every dental insurance carrier has their own method. So, the dental team has their work cut out for them. Because some dental carriers issue no cards at all. And a patient is responsible for tracking down their information online. Or perhaps their human resource department might help them.
They Are All Different
Therefore, that’s the first truth to be aware of. That all insurance companies print cards differently. And sometimes, we see dental insurance information on a medical card. The patient has just one card for both their medical and dental insurance. But remember, many dental plans offer no card at all. And the patient may not know who their dental plan is.
Dental Patients May Misunderstand
Our insurance database is helpful with insurance identification by employer. When we attach an insurance carrier to a specific employer, it’s so beneficial. We might ask a patient who their employer is. And if we have that employer in our database, the mystery is solved. Otherwise, a patient might be able to contact their employer or human resource representative for guidance.
Reading Dental Insurance Cards and Verification
There is no crystal ball that allows the dental office to see who a patient’s insurance carrier is. Although some patients seem to think this is the case. But it can be so helpful to use an insurance verification system, such as Trojan Professional Services. Again, we want to know the patient’s employer and have other necessary information. Such as the subscriber’s name, date of birth, and social security or identification number.
What's On Dental Insurance Cards?
A group number is one piece of information on the card. And necessary on dental claim forms. As well as an identifier in our insurance database. The group numbers within a specific plan provide different benefits for patients. An employer may over several different plans to their employees. The employee may have choices. Or varying levels of benefits may be provided for different positions within a company. So, we want to identify the group clearly. And attach this group in our own dental insurance database to the right benefit information.
Details Matter
The patient’s name and identification number may be on the card. The identification number is necessary for benefit verification and in claim submission. One incorrect number transcribed equals an unpaid claim. And the office may or may not receive a denial. Many times, the claim is simply discarded and ignored. Be careful with this.
Look For The Word "Dental"
Look for the words “dental plan” or “dental” on the card. Especially if the card reads like a medical insurance card. Many times, a patient presents a medical card by mistake. They have a dental plan with no dental card. MetLife and some Delta Dental plans often do not provide insurance cards.
Claims address and customer service information are on dental insurance cards. This information is often on the back of the card. There may even be a payor id#. What’s a payor id# you ask? It’s the number the dental office needs to submit claims electronically! And there may be additional information on the card. But this is the most important information to verify benefits, submit claims, and follow up on claims.
Dental Insurance Cards Do Not Mean Benefits
An insurance card is not proof of coverage. It’s possible coverage has terminated. And it’s possible the card is no longer valid. Just as lack of a card does not mean lack of dental coverage. The card is simply a means of information. And a way to help the patient receive any available benefits.
Dental Practice Operational Manual
