Many patients simply assume that when they attend their local dental practice for a routine check-up, their insurance will cover the costs. Then, when they’re hit with a dental bill that’s bigger than they expected, they feel cheated when their insurance doesn’t cover it.
While this scenario may not be uncommon, avoiding it is only possible when a patients benefits are confirmed before billing, something that all dental practitioners should be doing.
Getting to grips with benefits confirmation
Verifying the insurance coverage of each individual patient before they are provided with any dental treatment, doesn’t require help from bookkeeping services for dentists, although it’s worth recognizing that these can be instrumental in helping busy practices keep their records organized and up-to-date for tax and regulatory purposes.
In checking each patient’s insurance coverage fully, both parties can be aware of what benefits the patient is entitled to, and what out-of-pocket charges might be involved. Helping to prevent any financial disputes, misunderstandings and surprise bills for patients; benefits confirmation involves verifying the following aspects:
· Specific dental procedure coverage
· Coinsurance or co-payment amounts
· Deductibles that must be met
· Annual maximum limits
· Certain services that may have limitations or exclusions
Confirming coverage prior to an appointment helps dental professionals provide their patients with clear information regarding what they will be expected to pay, and allows for treatment timeline planning and accurate estimates of cost.
What can happen when practices fail to confirm benefits?
When insurance benefits aren’t accurately verified, dental practices risk delayed payments, denial of claims, and dissatisfied patients, each of which can result in a loss of earnings.
Below are some of the advantages of benefits confirmation:
· Enhanced patient satisfaction
· Financial transparency
· Reduction in claim errors
· Better cashflow
How to implement benefits confirmation in your dental practice:
In dental billing, adhering to the following best practices can enhance accuracy and efficiency:
· Gain comprehensive insurance details
This includes obtaining the company name of the insurer, the policy and group number, along with primary subscriber information.
· Use tech tools
The use of third-party verification services or dental practice management software can help to make the benefits confirmation process more streamlined and error-free through automation.
· Check coverage pre-treatment
It’s crucial that insurance benefits are verified prior to the carrying out of any dental treatments, so that misunderstandings can be avoided, and patients can make treatment decisions that are fully informed.
· Use effective communication to deal with patients
Insurance coverage details and their estimated costs must be explained clearly to patients in order to promote transparency and help address their concerns, should they have any.
· Make a record of everything
Detailed records are the cornerstone of an organized dental practice, and using dental bookkeeping services can go a long way to helping you achieve this. For each patient, keep a detailed record of their benefits verification, along with any communications you may have received from the insurer. This can help to effectively resolve disputes and make it easier to track the status of claims.
Being able to operate efficiently and keep patients satisfied is made much harder when the important step of benefits confirmation isn’t taken effectively, and the complex world of insurance reimbursement, can quickly stunt a practice’s growth. So, in a landscape that’s continually changing, practices must prioritize dental billing if they’re to help secure themselves a healthier future.
