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October 2016
Three tips for an accurate list of patients with unused insurance benefits 


In last month's newsletter the Tip of the Month was a reminder to send out a campaign or start making calls to patients who have unused dental benefits and get them scheduled before time runs out.  I thought it only appropriate to include an article
that will help you accomplish your goal.

We have all heard the phrase "Garbage in, Garbage out." This phrase comes into play especially when you and your team are trying to generate a list of patients who have unscheduled treatment and unused insurance benefits. Since this is typically the time of year when you want to start reminding patients to use or lose their unused insurance benefits, you want to make sure that this amount used is not a bunch of garbage. How do you make sure your unused insura nce benefits is a number you can count on? 

Here are three tips . . .
  1. Make sure you are up to date on month end. One of the many tasks that the month end procedure will tackle is resetting the insurance benefits used back to zero. I was in a practice a couple of months ago and one reason they have never been able to trust their treatment plan estimates is because they had not performed a month end since 2009. RUN MONTH END!
  2. When you are setting up the insurance plan, make sure that the benefit renewal date is set accurately. Open the Insurance Data window. About halfway down, there is a benefit renewal date. Make sure this is accurate.
  3. Update the patient's insurance amount used if he or she has gone to a specialist or used benefits at another practice. Open the deductibles tab in the insurance window and manually update the benefits used. This way, when you search for a list of patients with remaining insurance benefits, you will get an accurate list.
For more information on how to run the reports and export the lists, check out these past articles.



Dayna Johnson - The Dentrix Office Manager
Quick tip to do in October . . . 

Forecast your goals and make the appropriate adjustments in your appointment book so you can gear up to make your end of year goals. Are you on track to meet your production, collection and new patient goals for the year?  You have three months to get it done so lets start planning now.
Where is Dayna teaching or learning . . . 


Dentrix Train the Trainer - Sept 28th - 29th, Ft Lauderdale, FL - learning

Dentrix online User Meeting - October 9th - presenting  

AADOM Denver Chapter Meeting - October 13th - attending

ADMC Conference - Oct 18th, 19th, Denver, CO - learning

ADA Convention - October 20th - 22nd,  Denver, CO - learning and volunteering 


Yankee Dental Congress - presenting The Three Most Common Battles Between the Front and the Back - Friday, January 27th, 2pm - 4pm

CLICK HERE for registration to Yankee Dental Congress



Dayna's Product Pick 
of the Month

One of the biggest pain points in the dental practice is insurance.  Whether you have been an insurance coordinator for many years or you are new to dentistry we all struggle with insurance plans and companies.  My good friend and colleague, Teresa Duncan, has started the Dental Insurance Skills Training just for you.  

The Dental Insurance Skills Training program (DIST) is designed to quickly bring you up to speed on insurance and how it works in the dental office. These modules can be taken individually or as part of a complete program. 

The courses will cover foundational knowledge such as clause and plan terminology; conversation skills with patients and insurance companies; and responsibilities associated with the insurance coordinator position. The program will conclude with a discussion on how to monitor and assess your insurance metrics.

CLICK HERE for more information

If you are a member of Novonee, The Premier Dentrix Online Community, email Dayna directly for your promo code and discount.
 

 
It's estimated that dental practices only use 15-20 percent of their practice management software. But what if you could increase your Dentrix® knowledge, without ever having to leave your office or home?

What if you could become a Dentrix® "super user" and get answers to the questions and issues you struggle with the most?
 
Explore the possibility of becoming a member of 
The Premier Dentrix Online Community today.
 
to find out more about his exclusive group of 
Dentrix super-users.

 
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