Challenge yourself to become a Dentrix Master and get recognized on the Wall of Fame

This is your year to become the best you can be in your career.  Challenge yourself to become a Dentrix master.  Join me on the Wall of Fame as I post up your accomplishments on my blog all throughout 2015.   CLICK HERE to start your success.

Watch my video to hear all the details . . .

 Wall of Fame



CONGRATULATIONS!
You are a Dentrix Master









Take the initiative and educate yourself

Our boss, the dentist, must take a certain number of hours per year of continuing education in order to maintain his or her license. The dental hygienist is also required to keep his or her license current with continuing education every year … but what about the office manager, treatment coordinator, financial coordinator, or hygiene coordinator? We do not have these requirements to maintain our jobs in the dental practice, but we have one of the most important jobs in the office. What I find in many offices is a lack of training for the administrative team … so you need to take the bull by the horns and do it yourself. My goal today is to give you some resources that you can tap into so you can continue your education and be successful in the dental practice.

In no particular order, here are my top 5 ways you, as a member of the administrative team, can educate yourself in dentistry and Dentrix.

1. The Dentrix Resource Center – Most of you using Dentrix in your office are paying for a Dentrix customer support plan, but the only thing you are using is phone support or updates. Tap into this amazing learning experience and elevate your knowledge about your practice management system. In the Resource Center, you have access to videos, an online knowledgebase, and tutorials. Even though I am an experienced trainer, I use the knowledgebase all the time for my client questions. From any Dentrix module, click on Help > Support Knowledgebase.
2. AADOM – The American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) is the premier group of which you need to be a part. It will revolutionize you as an administrator in your dental practice. CLICK HERE to find out more about this organization and its annual conference (hint: it is always somewhere warm and fun J ).
3. Dentrix Seminars and Workshops – If you prefer classroom or lecture style learning, this is for you. I have been teaching the Dentrix Insight Seminars for about 4 years now and everyone always leaves with some great pearls of knowledge and tips they can implement in their office right away. The Workshops are usually a 2- or 3-day course with hands-on learning. CLICK HERE for more information.
4. Read, Read, Read – I will never reprimand a front office team member for reading dental journals and articles while on the job. This is definitely some of the easiest and most inexpensive educational material you can get. Here are some of my favorites:
1. Dentrix Magazine – It comes out quarterly and if you are on a customer support plan you should receive it automatically.
2. Dental Practice Management – There is an online version and a print version. CLICKHERE to check out the online version.
3. Insurance Solutions Newsletter – This is one of the few paid subscriptions that I would recommend. It is fabulous! CLICK HERE to be directed to their website where you can subscribe.
5. Business of Dentistry Conference – This is your conference! It is packed full of some of the best practice management consultants, Dentrix trainers, and speakers in the dental industry. You will find courses on leadership, motivation, social media, HIPAA, Dentrix, and so much more at this conference. Also, it is such a fun time for your entire team because you can go out dancing, shopping, or cruise the strip in Vegas. CLICK HERE for more information.

 

Five tips on proper coding to insurance

Last week, I attended one of my favorite conferences of the year … the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) annual meeting. This conference is built specifically for office managers and is chock full of course for practice management, leadership, HR, technology, and personal growth. There were more than 600 attendees and the vendor booths spilled out into the hall.

One of the courses I attended was Dr. Charles Blair’s coding class, “Stay out of Jail – Avoid Coding Errors and Excel in Insurance Administration.” Go back to last week’s blog post and you can watch my video interview with Dr. Blair. Today, I want to give you the top five “pearls” I took away from his class.

1. Code what you do – Even if you know the insurance company is going to downgrade to a lower procedure code, make sure you are billing the insurance company the procedure that you provide to the patient. Your clinical notes and the billing should match.
2. Biopsy – Bill out the biopsy procedure at the time you receive the report back from the lab, not at the time you take the biopsy.
3. Crowns prep or seat date? – If you are in-network, you must go by their rules. If you are out of network, you can bill by your rules. Double-check with your insurance contracts. If you can bill at the prep date, then do it. I have always billed crowns out at the prep date (we are out of network for all insurance companies) because this is when we incur the majority of our costs and this is also when I want the patient to pay.
4. Bill D1110 based on dentition not age – We all know that insurance companies will not pay for an adult prophy until the age of 14, but what if your 11-year-old patient has full dentition? According to Dr. Blair, you would bill out the adult prophy and let the insurance company downgrade it.
5. D0180 … not just for the periodontist – Many general dentists do not use this code because they believe it can only be used at a specialist office, but this is not so. Your office can use this code for any patient who has risk factors (smoker, diabetic, etc.) and possibly get paid a higher fee. You must also justify using this code with a perio chart.

Dr. Blair is an expert in coding and has many resources from which your office can benefit. My favorite is the Insurance Solutions Newsletter. For more information, visit his website by CLICKING HERE.

Tips on avoiding administrative errors in the dental practice

I have just returned from the American Association of Dental Office Managers (AADOM) annual meeting in Orlando, Fla. It was a great few days filled with friends and timely information. If your dental office manager isn't a member of AADOM, you really should check out everything this great association has to offer. You find out more information about AADOM by clicking here.

While I was in Orlando, I had the chance to catch up with Dr. Charles Blair, who is an expert in coding for the dental practice. We chatted about the recent coding changes and what dental practices can expect in 2014. We also talked about ways that dental practices can do some simple things to avoid some very common errors. Click below to watch my video interview with Dr. Blair.