Dental News!!

Dental news to abuse. Items number one on the Doc.It is changing with occlusal guards and how to bill them. The code has changed, but the way we bill has obviously not. The old code D9940 is not used any longer. Here are a couple of new billing codes, along with the reasons any insurance company may or may not cover. So the new codes include D9944, D9945 and then D9946. The first one is an occlusal guard, hard appliance, full arch. The next one is occlusal guard, soft appliance, and then occlusal guard, hard appliance, partial arch.

So insurance may cover for these reasons: A patient suffering the effects of bruxism. And some insurance companies will provide a benefit for an occlusal guard only if the patient has a six month prior to fabrication history of periodontal treatment, such as scaling and root planning, and osteo surgery.

Some reasons for denial from your insurance company: maybe you're not using the correct code from the new codes above, not giving a narrative behind the reason for the guard. They may be at the maximum for the year has already been met, and the frequency and limitations may play a role in coverage. You need to get the patient's past history, as far as guards are concerned. It is recommended to send in a pre-authorization to insurance so you and the patient are aware of charges and the correct out of pocket. Better to be safe than sorry. And do make sure to attach x-rays and a perio chart, as the insurance company may come back and ask for it, which will delay the pre-authorization.

Next item up is emailing patient's dental records. Handling patient's records is very important. In the dental field along, x-rays, images, billing information, claims data and treatment information is shared among interested parties. But in most cases, communications between providers and dental plans or pairs is done using secure portals or other technology services, such as those used for electronic claims attachments. Emailing sensitive health information is dangerous because it lacks security, regulatory compliance, and is vulnerable to attack.

Security privacy and protection. Since email is everywhere and easy to use, offices who use it to send protected health information, or PHI, do not seem to be concerned about its lack of security. It's a mode of communication that's often taken for granted. Like clean air and water, it's there and ready to be used.

Gaps in email security should worry dentists and dental teams anytime they are attached, they attach patient's information to an email and hit send. Lack of encryption is the primary problem, not only in transit but at rest. When information lands at the servers of the email provider, it lies vulnerable at times. The consequences are enormous and the results are easy to gain for those who are bent on gaining them.

HIPAA compliance. Offices need to obtain consent from patients before sending them any type of PHI via an unsecured email. Doing so without a patient's consent can constitute a violation of HIPAA. Using an encrypted email system is the easiest and most sufficient way of responding to a patient's request and complying with the law. It's imperative that covered dental practices that choose to use a secure messaging service that meets HIPAA definition of a business associate or health information exchange, obtain from that service provider, a business associate agreement, that complies with HIPAA requirements before using the service. An encrypted email system is an easiest and most efficient way of responding to patient's requests and complying with the law.

HIPAA places responsibility on dental and medical providers to ensure privacy and security of patient records. Unencrypted emails on servers can be hacked in transit and can lead to breaches of records, that place dental practices at risk of being fined up to $50,000 for the first offense. There's no doubt HIPAA and data security are nothing to dismiss lightly.

With just a simple add on with your current email solution, you can maintain the convenience of sharing data with colleagues and patients, in the same easy to use, in a formal manner, as before. The sharing of electronic patient records and information is necessary in busy practices. Make sure that you're keeping patient data and your practice safe in the prior says.

Next item up for discussion here is six dental patient retention strategies. Retaining patients is vital to an office's success, but this doesn't come easily. Allowing retention to happen on its own or by accident will allow patients to slip through the cracks and seek their dental care elsewhere.

First of all, know your patients. Have a plan to help staff members remember patients and their personal situations. Write notes about the patient and family, that way you can ask at the next visit.

Give patients time with the dentist. Most patients want to have one on one time, they feel they deserve with the doctor. When they don't get that time, it sets the tone for the practice. Set aside a few, uninterrupted minutes for the dentist to have face to face, even if the patient isn't scheduled to see the dentist that day. Arrange a time where the doctor can quickly pop in to say hello.

Check how you are transferring your patients. When a patient gets to the front and they are still considering whether or not to go through with a particular procedure, this is usually where the broken link in the chain will occur. This is where communication is key. Consider changing your financial policies and insurance policies. It is vital to have an established financial protocol, in order to reduce collections and minimize past due accounts. To ease and minimize the risk of losing patients, as networks or collections protocols are modified, it is important to take a step back and look at the circumstances as if you were a patient with no experience managing claims.

You want to keep your doors open. Unlock the door and have a small sign at the desk that says we'll be right with you, please sign in, and allow patients to come in and get settled on their own time. Keeping the door locked and being so rigid that people are left standing outside two minutes before the practice opens makes patients feel as if the staff are more concerned about their time cards, then they are about the patients coming in for care.

Be on time. Scheduling is key when it comes to making all patients feel confident enough to entrust you with their oral health. If you're running behind every day, it won't take long for people to notice. The same can be said for how soon you are able to see patients back in your office for follow up care.

The final item for this week is using social media to find your next hire. This is a great source, and guess what? It's free! So how it benefits the office: You can manage your job postings for your practice, through your practice's Facebook page. Nothing more is needed. Your job listing will be seen on your page, in the news feeds of any of those who follow you, in the Facebook marketplace, and in Facebook's job dashboard. This will allow you to track responses, just like you would with your own posts. If there's anyone in your network who might be interested or might know someone who could be interested, you can reach out via messenger. So, how this benefits potential hires: they can select their ideal location, the dental industry, and the type of job they want: part-time, full-time, contract, etc...

You must appeal to your audience. In this case, potential hires. Be mindful that many users will see your post on their mobile devices, so keep your wording concise. Post some pictures of smiling employees having fun at work, and include images that suggest why someone would want to join your team.

There is no guarantee as to the accuracy of this information, and no treatment decision should be based on this information presented. Although every attempt is made to be accurate and factual, some items discussed are the opinion of the author and no liability will be assumed for the content presented.