Did you know that dentophobia – the fear of going to the dentist – is a highly common phobia that affects up to 8 percent of the American population? Of course, while the sound of your dental handpiece can certainly seem scary to your patients, what can be even more frightening is discovering that they weren’t actually eligible for services until after you saw them for their appointment. To avoid giving your patients a nasty surprise when they get a bill in the mail from us, and to help avoid having your submitted claim denied, you should always check to make sure they’re eligible for services before you schedule them for a dental appointment!
Making Sure You’re within Network
Before you schedule a patient for an appointment at your office, you should always confirm that they do have dental insurance. Not only should you know what type of dental insurance that they have, you should also verify that you’re within network for their specific plan. While this is especially important for scheduling new patients at your office, it’s also vital when setting up an established patient at your office, too. This can help you keep your schedule full and avoid unnecessary cancellations at the last minute.
Keeping the Patient Informed of Fees
It’s important to remember that many people are admittedly fairly hesitant about going to the dentist. Even patients with no fear of your office may try to avoid staying on top of their routine checkups. If they’re afraid they’ll have high copays and fees, they may make even more excuses to avoid seeing you. To help ease their minds, it’s good to let them know what their expected fees and copays will be in advance of the appointment (ideally when they schedule their appointment or confirm it).
Streamlining the Billing Process (and Get Paid Faster!)
After you see your patient, you’ll want to carefully document everything that occurred during the appointment. Did they get a routine checkup and a cleaning? Write it down. Did they get more advanced care at your office, such as a crown or a root canal? All of this needs to be documented. Once you’ve finished their paperwork, you’ll then submit it to us for billing. With your careful documentation and our fastidious attention to detail, we’ll help ensure that you get paid quickly from the insurance companies and your patient!
If you run a busy dental practice, you may find yourself falling behind on insurance verifications. We here at Dynamic Dental Solutions are more than happy to handle this responsibility for you. We also can help bill both dental and medical insurances, allowing you to maximize your reimbursements. To learn more about the different services that we offer, or to get started with us, please don’t hesitate to contact us today!
