Imagine a world where insurance companies paid your office quickly, your net production and payment ratios were one to one, and your patients delivered raving reviews about your claims assistance.
Seem unrealistic?
Follow a proven system and that scenario can be your reality.
Dental insurance can be a win for your patients. Help them reduce or eliminate the confusion about their dental benefits and you’ll be a “hero.”
It’s unfortunate that the insurance conversation can come with hassles. Consider those aggravations an opportunity for you to be your patient’s advocate.
Picture this: your hygienist has a full day of patients. A couple of S/RPs, a couple of new patients, and some nice recalls. Ahh… it’s a beautiful thing.
But wait! What’s that I see here? She hasn’t been using the correct CDT codes for her procedures. Oh no! Poor coding is about more than just lost revenue; it can lead to benefit claims bouncing back and over- or under-treatment.
We should periodically sit down with our hygiene teams and discuss treatment philosophies, like when to refer to a periodontist or how often a full mouth probing should be done. A super important part of this conversation is which codes can be used and when.
Are your front desk personnel trained to collect patient co-payments and deductibles at time of service? Do they know the amount of receivables due from each patient and their insurance company? If not, your practice could be losing a significant amount of income. Studies show that collecting payment from patients at the time of service maximizes your collection percentage and decreases collection costs. Taking steps now to collect every dollar earned will prevent your profits from slipping through the cracks. This article offers strategies to successfully collect payments at time of service and is geared towards helping your front desk staff achieve winning performance.
A patient’s first impression of your practice is their front desk experience. Your staff should be greeting patients by name, while presenting a professional attitude and appearance. They should be polite, and possess strong customer service and communication skills. Front desk staff must feel comfortable asking for co-pays and deductibles and indicate that payment is expected at the time of service. Their attitude needs to be friendly, yet firm. The dentists in the practice need to be supportive of the collection policy and refer all discussions regarding financial matters to the appropriate personnel, rather than discussing with the patient. Your office should have a clear, written financial policy, which should specifically state when you expect payment. This will empower your front desk personnel and send a clear message to patients.
|
|
|
