When your patient comes in for treatment and needs to pay for the procedure, you want to provide more than just an educated guess. You can’t pick out a random dollar amount and hope you’re in the ballpark. Going blind in charging your patients can wreak havoc on your practice’s finances and reputation. That’s where an Explanation of Benefits (EOB) in dental billing can help you keep everything organized and everyone happy. As an office manager or owner of a dental practice, you need to not only be familiar with EOBs but also know how to use them to benefit your business and patients.

Every member of your team serves a purpose in your dental practice. Your dental assistant takes X-rays and helps you during procedures, your hygienist performs routine cleanings, and your front desk team checks patients in and out. They each have their area of expertise, but one expert who should be on your team and is often taken for granted is a dental billing specialist. What exactly does this role offer your practice? What does a dental billing specialist do? Keep reading to find out!

In any agreement or contract, both parties are responsible to do certain things. When you hire a home contractor, for example, they are obligated to complete the project, and you as the customer must pay them. In dentistry, you pledge to deliver outstanding care to your patients, and they pay you either through their insurance company or out-of-pocket. Obviously, in real life, this division of responsibilities can get more complicated.

Even when something is the patient’s responsibility, you and your dental office team may have to take extra steps to avoid delays in payment or complications in insurance claims. Keep reading to learn more about just four examples of patient billing responsibilities and what you may need to do to help make transactions smoother.