How Proper Dental Coding Affects Your Bottom Line
- Updated:
- June 2023
- Author:
- Sandy Odle, CXO, eAssist Dental Solutions
- Topic:
- Coding
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As every dental team member is well aware, the CDT code set is how dentists across the country get reimbursed for what they do. (Not aware? Check out the Intro to Dental Coding & Administration CE course from Dental Zing.) These CDT codes are updated yearly, but many dental practices do not utilize or keep up-to-date coding resources. Let’s take a closer look at how proper dental coding affects your bottom line, and the negative consequences of improper coding.
How can proper dental coding boost my income?
With new CDT codes being added every year, on top of current CDT codes changing, it can be a lot to keep up with for a busy dental practice. Especially if you are consistently growing your scope of services, more than likely there are CDT codes that you are underutilizing.
As Dr. Charles Blair always says, “Correct coding often results in higher revenue, as practices obtain reimbursements that were once unpaid because of misunderstanding or misreported codes.”
In fact, Dr. Blair and his Advisory Board have consulted with thousands of dental practices and analyzed their dental coding, scope of procedures, and current fees to see where the practice can increase legitimate revenue by utilizing proper coding for treatment they are already doing. Click here to learn more about Dr. Blair’s Revenue Enhancement Program.
The real cost of inaccurate dental coding
There have been 160 CDT code changes over the past 3 years. Without the proper dental coding knowledge and resources, your dental claim accuracy can suffer, leading to repeated denials due to submitting incorrect or deleted CDT codes. Over time, this can lead to low and inconsistent revenue. With rising costs, reductions in revenue can lead to difficult decisions for a dental practice owner.
One way to combat high overhead is to reduce costs. For many practices that are already working with limited team members, there may not be much wiggle room. Another way to overcome high overhead is to increase revenue. This doesn’t have to mean overpacking your schedule and working overtime. Let us show you.
How do I streamline my dental coding processes?
Dental coding directly affects your dental billing processes, and the two go hand in hand when it comes to getting maximum legitimate insurance reimbursement. Without specialized knowledge or resources, your staff are left spending valuable time trying to track down accurate code information on the internet.
Start with these small steps to put your practice on the right track to faster reimbursement:
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Implement insurance verification prior to appointments to ensure that patients are covered for specific treatments at the time of service
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Secure a subscription to the industry’s most comprehensive and up-to-date dental coding database, Practice Booster’s Online Code Advisor
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Master Dental Documentation and make sure your clinical documentation can support proper dental coding
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Train staff on dental billing best practices and get them dental coding resources to use when submitting claims
Combining dental billing & coding resources
Looking for a way to streamline your revenue cycle management while staying on top of dental coding trends? eAssist Dental Solutions can support you in everything from dental billing, accounting, and patient recare. By merging the dental billing platform of eAssist Dental Solutions with your Practice Booster resources, your dental practice gains the tools necessary to streamline processes and maximize revenue.
