During the COVIDi-19 pandemic, the entire dental industry saw a dramatic staffing shortage, and this trend has mostly continued since. As a dental practice owner, you may have found it difficult to hire and retain employees, especially those who work the front desk. In desperation, you might have considered searching for anyone with insurance experience. However, is dental billing like medical billing?
One isn’t necessarily easier than the other, and while they share some similarities, they vary from each so much that you can’t afford to make mistakes or have someone jump from one to the other. In this post, you’ll learn why dental billing is unique and how you can solve this problem.
Similarities Between Medical and Dental Billing
Especially in the eyes of your patients, medical and dental billing can seem identical. They both involve filing claims with insurance companies, translating clinical notes and records for these claims, and receiving payment from third-party entities as well as the patients themselves.
A strong knowledge of the proper coding and necessary information and being detail oriented and accurate are critical skills to successfully complete both types of billing. Otherwise, the insurance claims will be denied or delayed, and the practice won’t get paid on time.
Differences Between Medical and Dental Billing
Besides the obvious differences in clinical treatment, the respective billing processes are different enough that industry familiarity and specialization are required. In other words, someone who has experience and skill in medical billing may not be able to seamlessly transition to dental billing or vice versa because of vastly different coding systems.
While medical insurance tends to focus its coverage on diagnosis, treating existing problems, and addressing emergencies, dental insurance places most of its benefits on preventive care and early intervention. As a result, a professional in dentistry needs to be aware of coding for all kinds of treatment plans.
Challenges with Dental Billing
With innovations in treatment coming out every year, codes and coding requirements are constantly changing. Those who handle dental billing must stay current with updates and correctly file claims, or insurance companies will deny payment.
Dental billing requires a substantial amount of time and effort to verify benefits, file claims accurately, and follow up with insurance providers, and many practices do not have the staffing capacity to take on this Herculean workload. However, without someone to do it, practices would suffer financially rather than flourish and increase their debt.
Solutions for Easier Dental Billing
One way to approach dental billing is to hire a dedicated team member to manage insurance claims and billing matters, which can be challenging because of the cost of hiring and the staffing shortage across the industry. However, perhaps a simpler solution is to outsource billing to a support company that can handle this vital step in getting your practice paid.
Staffing may continue to be a struggle, but because of service companies that specialize in dental billing, you can continue to take advantage of experts and make sure your business receives payment on schedule.
About Dental Support Specialties
Dental Support Specialties consists of many support specialists who have years of dental billing experience. We know how to deal with insurance companies and what information to include in claims to get them approved efficiently and effectively. We stay updated on new coding and HIPAA requirements and remain fully compliant. If you are interested in learning more about our team and services, contact us online today!