Quick Bites for your Dental Office

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Pros and Cons In vs Out of Network:

Being in a network is not this “bad thing”. Many dentists are in-network. I have a personal recommendation I would give my offices: Continue to practice as you are until it jeopardizes either your Quality of care or your quality of life. The second an insurance contract jeopardizes the dentistry you perform- drop them. The second their reimbursements rates are making you choose materials that won’t last as long, use labs that aren’t as good, drop them. The second being in-network causes your blood pressure to get out of control in order to keep up with the number of patients you must see each day. The second it causes you to lie awake at night. The second you're running around your office all day feeling like a hamster on a wheel instead of enjoying why you become a dentist, to help other, then drop them. More new patients are not worth jeopardizing your quality of care or quality of life. 

In-Network Pros:

• Great exposure for new patients, especially in an insurance driven world. 
• This is especially true for new dentists who are starting from ground zero
• Talking to patients about their co-pays and bills is typically easier and more straightforward. Not as much as a guessing game.

In-Network Cons:

• Renegotiate fee schedules every few years. Credentialing time. More staff time. 
• They dictate at times the treatment you can perform. Pay attention to your contracts! If they don’t feel a service is necessary they won’t allow you to charge your patient. 
• Low reimbursement rates which ultimately affect your bottom line. Which may lead to you having to decrease your individual time with the patient, work out of multiple rooms, and or change your materials used.

https://bonddentalbilling.com

Create a link for your patients to write you a Google review:

If you have a Google My Business Page:

1. Go to your google my business page
2. On the home page, click on the “Share Review Form” under Get More Reviews
3. Tes the link then copy the link
4. Google “Free QR code” 
5. Paste your link to create and download a QR code
6. Add this to a flyer, business cards, etc to have and pass out in your office
7. Patients can easily scan and be sent directly to write a review for your practice

If you do/do not have a Google My Business Page:

1. Visit Google Place ID: https://developers.google.com/maps/documentation/places/web-service/place-id
2. In the ‘Enter a location‘ field write your office/company name
3. Click on your company name that appears in the drop-down list
4. Your Place ID will appear in the popover. Copy it.
5. Paste the Place ID number at the end of this link (after the = sign) https://search.google.com/local/writereview?placeid=
6. Test the link. Then copy it. 
7. Google “Free QR code” 
8. Paste your link to create and download a QR code
9. Add this to a flyer, business cards, etc to have and pass out in your office
10. Patients can easily scan and be sent directly to write a review for your practice

Free QR code websites:

https://www.qrcode-monkey.com

https://www.qr-code-generator.com

https://www.the-qrcode-generator.com

Create your flyer or business card:

Canva: www.canva.com
Vistaprint: www.vistaprint.com

FREE CANVA TEMPLATE: https://www.canva.com/design/DAEgQLiMkM4/twn1x_LCA-esmLn_92yB3A/view?utm_content=DAEgQLiMkM4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link&utm_source=publishsharelink&mode=preview

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Insurance Claim Status Notes: (softdent-  use excel)

-Insert Date Stamp_

Claim Status: What is the status of the claim (i.e. not on file, denied, processed and paid, needs add. information…)

Action Taken: What did you do today to reverse the claim status if needed

Rep Name: Who did you speak to today

Ref #: Especially if this is not the first time you have called, you will want a reference number to protect you from starting all over

Your initials

Ready to outsource your insurance headaches? Contact me today:
https://bonddentalbilling.com/contact/ 

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3 Tips for a Better Morning Huddle

1. 10 minutes before first scheduled patients
2. Each team member presents
3. Fill and and use a morning huddle sheet
   1. Treatment coordinator- who did not schedule next visit yesterday and why- what is the follow up
   2. Financial coordinator- who has a balance that you need to see today- maybe even before appt
   3. Appointment coordinator- openings in the schedule over the next 2 days, give downtime jobs to clinical team
   4. Office manager- production and collection goals, np goal, special campaign- google reviews, etc
   5. Hygienists- who has unscheduled tx, what family members are not scheduled for recare, who is due for velscope, laser, fl, lapt. Who needs an updated health history, who will you ask for a referral from today
   6. Assistants- are all the lab cases back, who has next treatment, have all io photos/xrays for crowns, who isn't scheduled for next recare, any ER or NP today

Here are three quick tips to help with those darn insurance rejections. Stop denying payment and start collecting on time, every time!

If you are ready to outsource your insurance billing to a company you can trust, visit us at 
https://bonddentalbilling.com

Here are a few tips to help combat those dreaded build-up denials and get you paid for what you do! 

Need help with your insurance department? Reach out to be today for a free assessment call! 
https://bonddentalbilling.com

As promised here is my full ER script from top to bottom. If you missed the New Patient Walk Through which handles the beginning portion of this call, head over to Episode 18.

For more tips and trick head to my website at
https://bonddentalbilling.com

What information do we need to gather on the ER phone call to set up the doctor and clinical team for success?

What to ask:

Symptoms: “Tell me more about __________?” __________________________________________

Where? __________________________________________ Pain 1-10? _______

• Off/ On   Constant   Swelling 

Sensitivity to:  Hot  Cold 

• Broken Tooth –How big is the break?  Lost filling  Crown
• Accident _____________________________________________________________________
• Taking Pain Medication    What? ___________________________  How Often? __________

Where to schedule your ER visits:

1st: in open time

2nd: on the side of an appointment that needs numbing, assistant work, or COE

3rd: if dr is totally slammed, see if a hygienist is open to put them on their chair to get x-rays done. Dr can pop in when he would typically have done a hygiene exam

4th: between two appointments on the doctor side

Seating ER patient:

It is my best advice to make sure the front office is comfortable and confident in at least, being able to set up an ER visit. Have special cassettes labeled just for ER visits. The least they can do when the patient does arrive is get them seated, put on the bib, turn on the music or tv in the opportutory if you have one. Get them comfortable and ready so that Dr can pop in whenever he has a minute to diagnose what is going on. 

PRO TIP: Use a training day to teach the front office staff how to take a PA and BW. This can be a great asset for easily handling ER visits if you don’t have multiple dental assistants. They can have the patient seated, x-rays taken and ready for the doctor to pop in when he has time. And bonus is you get to learn an awesome new skill you can always have in your back pocket. 

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Amy asks: "As my small practice has suddenly gotten busier post-Covid, the number of emergencies (or patients who believe they have an emergency) has increased tremendously.  I especially wanted to hear your suggestions on how to handle patients that call at the end of the week in pain but there is no time available for them until Monday (we are closed Fri-Sun)."

I love talking about ER patients so I’m going to break this answer down into 3 parts and 3 podcasts. 

Part 1: Let me go over specifically how I would handle the question you asked. What do you do when a patient wants to be seen at a time we do not have available? 

Part 2: I want to talk about how to set up the doctor and clinical team for success. What info to get on the phone that needs to be relayed to them, where to schedule them on your books and what to do when they arrive?

Part 3: I want to review the ER phone call and the exact scripting I would use for that call top to bottom.

First off:

Yes, don’t we get this often. An “emergency” patient calls and needs to be seen, but only around their time. Let me tell you how to handle this while keeping customer service number one, but also being in charge of your schedule. 

First off, please know that a true emergency will do whatever they need in order to come in at your open time.

The goal of an ER visit is to diagnose what is going on with the patient and hopefully get them out of pain. We can never guarantee tx the same day. Ideally, I would like you to see your ER patient same-day or next-day if possible. Even if they have to be put on the side and worked into the schedule. Now if it is the end of the day and at the end of a work week, I would offer them earliest you can Monday morning and again, work them into your schedule. You need to make it known to the patient that you have a full schedule of patients but we will work you in, but there may be a longer wait than usual. 

If they are adamant they need to be seen BEFORE your next business day and your doctor does not do out-of-office hours, then I would refer them to your endodontist and/or the ER room if it's a real emergency. 

You may just need to re-train the patient in these cases, that emergencies need to be scheduled around your office's availability, and that they can't get in whenever they want.

email me: [email protected]
website: https://bonddentalbilling.com

Today we will explore the six reasons to use checklists in the dental office. If you want to be a part of my front office coaching program, head to https://bonddentalbilling.com/online-courses/ today!

6 Reasons to use checklists in the dental office 

• Sickness or Vacation Coverage
• Each One Teach One Opportunities
• Stay on Task/ Multi-tasking
• Turn Over Protection
• Training Opportunities
• Accountability