Blog Archives

Modern Dental Technology: How Laser Therapy Changes Endodontic Dental Billing

11/27/2023

Laser Dental Treatment: The Future of Endodontic Treatment?

A wide variety of dental and surgical lasers have hit the markets in recent years, increasing their availability and affordability. Laser-assisted endodontics can help with even the trickiest endodontic cases and techniques. What’s more, both patients and providers report better results from laser therapy than from traditional treatments. But figuring out how insurances reimburse laser procedures is one of the primary difficulties in adding laser dentistry to an endodontic practice. However, with the right help, specialists can benefit from laser technology without disturbing their endodontic billing process.

Some Benefits of Laser Dentistry Positive patient experiences with less vibration and pressure. Lasers cauterize soft tissue, producing less blood than a scalpel. Fewer or no shots to administer. Less painful than traditional Endodontic treatment, with some patients reporting no pain. Reduced post-op swelling and bleeding at the treatment site. Faster healing and recovery. Ideal for patients with high anxiety about dental treatment.

Considering all of these advantages and more, many endodontists have switched to laser dentistry to make treatment easier on their patients. However, some endodontists hold back because of the unknowns of endodontic billing for laser-assisted procedures.

How to Bill Laser Dentistry Fortunately, those looking to add laser treatment usually need not worry about learning tons of new codes or navigating major endodontic billing differences. Typically, offices can bill procedures as they normally would without a laser, and they need not indicate the laser on insurance forms. Like a drill or scalpel, a laser is a tool used to perform or assist in performing a procedure, rather than the procedure itself, meaning dental codes stay the same from one tool to the next.

While endodontic/dental treatment codes generally stay the same, hygiene codes often do vary between traditional therapies and laser-assisted preventive care. As such, general dentists can increase their revenue by sending laser specific claims to dental insurance companies. In addition, each state’s pricing and insurance rules differ, so dental offices must follow the unique regulations and laws in the state where they practice.

Simplify Laser Endodontic Billing Endodontists and billing staff don’t need to navigate this transition alone. If your office is trying to integrate laser treatment, SB Dental Billing Solutions can help ensure correct endodontic dental billing right from the start.

End-of-the-Year Dental Billing Headaches and How to Avoid Them

11/12/2023

The end of the year presents dentists and patients with many difficulties in navigating the confusing world of dental billing. From employers switching dental insurance companies to patients exhausting their dental benefits, the unique insurance hiccups that happen this time of year often result in unhappy patients, denied claims, and overextended staff. Thankfully, some of the most common year-end dental billing headaches can be mitigated by pay attention to a few specifics:

    1. Open Enrollment and Updated Benefits Many companies hold open enrollment in November and December, so this time of year often leads to surprise plan terminations and dental claim denials. Meanwhile, many existing plans modify the coming year’s benefits. Dentists can streamline the dental billing process by alerting their patients to open enrollment season and collecting next year’s dental insurance information ahead of time. By maintaining updated information, we keep the billing process working smoothly through the open enrollment season and the New Year. Similarly, getting ahead of the game helps us accurately verify coverage, which further prevents denials and unpaid patient portions.

  2. Tracking Insurance Maximums Patients generally don’t know the annual max on their insurance plan, but dental insurance companies track this number like a bloodhound. Unfortunately, that often results in denied dental claims, especially on work completed toward the end of the year, when patients begin to reach their annual max. However, our clients have an advantage because our dental billing service helps track insurance payouts. Once practices know that their patient has met their max, they can schedule future appointments after January 1st, allowing the max to reset and fully reimburse the dentist for their work.

  3. Informed Patients Stay Satisfied. Satisfied Patients Pay Fairly. The complexity of dental insurance baffles most people. When patients feel blindsided by unexpected out-of-pocket costs, they sometimes stop trusting their dentist, avoid payment, or even seek a different provider. At no time is this more apparent than at the turn of a new year when maximums and deductibles reset, plan benefits change, and new dental insurance companies come into play.

Providing comprehensive treatment plans can help bridge the provider-patient information gap, but treatment planning alone is not enough. Patients may need help understanding concepts like copays, deductibles, maximums, and coverage levels. Offer simple, jargon-free information to prevent delayed payment and keep patients satisfied.

Dental Billing Solutions Made Easy As dental practices educate their patients, we at SB Dental Billing Solutions support them with current insurance fee schedules and on-demand consultation. Together with our clients, we tackle the beast of year-end dental insurance issues effortlessly.