Dental billing outsourcing refers to the practice of bringing in a third-party service provider that takes care of the billing and payment processes of dental patients at the dentist’s office. Dentists’ offices often have a wide range of administrative responsibilities to manage, such as billing patients, processing insurance claims, tracking reimbursements, and more. When these responsibilities are outsourced, they get delegated to dental billing experts who specialize in making the process efficient, organized, and profitable.
The primary advantage associated with outsourced dental billing is that it is more cost-effective. According to a study conducted by Black Book Market Research, outsourced dental billing services can reduce overhead costs by 40% compared to in-house billing. This fact is enough to convince dental businesses to go for outsourced dental billing. However, there are some signs that you need to be aware of that determine whether or not you are a good fit for dental billing outsourcing (explained later in the article in detail), and if you are a good fit, this article also outlines how you can find the right dental billing service for your office.
Table of Content
1. Outsourced VS In-house Dental Billing
2. Benefits of Dental Billing Outsourcing
2.1. It Saves Cost
2.2. It Reduces Billing Time
2.3. It Helps with Government Regulations and Compliance
2.4. It Improves Cash Flow
2.5. It Gives You Peace of Mind
3. Outsourced Dental Billing Cost
4. Reasons to Outsource Dental Billing
4.1. Your Dental Office is Brand New
4.2. Staffing Issues
4.3. Office Manager is Too Busy to Handle the Billing
4.4. High Insurance Aging Report or Low Collections Percentage
4.5. The Insurance Billing Process is Time Consuming Process
4.6. Help in Resolving Claims
4.7. Inaccurate Claims and Posting in Your Dental Office
4.8. Help Getting Your Dental Practice Credentialed
5. How Do I Choose the Right Dental Billing Company?
5.1. Identify Your Current Needs
5.2. Plan Your Budget
5.3. Observe How Professionally Their Sales Team Treats You
6. What are the Red Flags When Choosing a Dental Billing Company?
6.1. Not Licensed or Insured
6.2. Not Transparent About Pricing
6.3. A Pushy or Aggressive Sales Team
7. Are You the Right Fit to Outsource Dental Billing?
7.1. You Have a Newly Started Dental Practice
7.2. Collection Rate Below 98% and High Aging Report
7.3. High Write-offs
7.4. Issues with Your Dental Staff
7.5. Patients Drop Off
8. Signs You Are Not a Good Fit for Outsourced Dental Billing
8.1. Your Systems Are Not Up to Date
8.2. Your In-house Team is Unwilling to Work with an Outsourced Dental Billing Company
8.3. Communication is Not a Priority to Your Dental Team
8.4. When You Are Looking for a Quick Fix
8.5. Dental Business Owners Are Not Willing to Get Involved
9. Will Outsourcing Dental Billing Replace My Current In-house Admin Team?
9.1. Communication
9.2. Decision-making
9.3. Accuracy & Confidentiality
10. Introducing Your Dental Team to an Outsourced Dental Billing Company?
10.1. Introduce Each Person and Their Roles
10.2. Communicate the Purpose
10.3. Provide Comprehensive Information
10.4. Establish Proper Channels of Communication
10.5. Conduct Onboarding and Training Sessions
Outsourced VS In-house Dental billing
Dental billing is a rapidly growing industry, especially in the last 5 years, which is mostly due to the growth in dental services. According to a report by Research And Markets, the global dental market’s estimated growth is a CAGR of 5.9% from 2021 to 2026. The report also highlights the growth of the outsourced dental services market, which is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 7.4% during the same time.
The reason for this growth is heavily derived from a few factors. One, diseases involving gum and tooth are increasingly prevalent. Two, at the same time, awareness of oral health’s importance is on the rise. Three, there has been a growing demand for cosmetic dentistry procedures that gives way to new dental startups. In turn, there is a heavy need generation for dental billing services. The availability of dental insurance services and PPOs is also one of the factors that increase the traffic at dental practices and create a need for someone to be professionally expert with insurance providers, which is where outsourced dental billing companies step in.
Outsourced dental billing is a method of delegating the tasks of billing and administering to a third-party service provider, which is known as the outsourced dental billing company. Instead of taking care of the billing procedures in the house, the dental office hires a specialized company that assumes the responsibility for billing and administering tasks, which includes billing patients, verifying insurance coverage, submitting claims, tracking reimbursements, managing financial statements, handling collections, and more.
This outsourced arrangement allows dental practitioners to concentrate on their patients and improve the quality of the service they provide while benefiting from the efficiency, expertise, and cost-saving methods offered by a dental billing service company.
On the other hand, in-house dental billing refers to the process of taking care of all the billing and administrative tasks within the dental office itself, without getting a third party involved. In-house dental billing allows the dental office to have its own dedicated billing staff and administrative team that takes care of all the aforementioned responsibilities themselves.
With in-house dental billing, the dental office retains all the control over billing and has direct access to information and data regarding billing activities. While in-house dental billing offers more customization and oversight over billing and administrative tasks, it requires investing in a staff that is trained and qualified to manage billing, insurance claims, reimbursements, etc.
Ultimately, the choice to go for in-house dental billing or outsourcing depends on the needs, resources, goals, and size of the dental practice. There are a lot of factors to consider when making the choice, like cost, efficiency, expertise, control, and scalability. Keep reading to make an informed decision about your dental billing method.
Benefits of Dental Billing Outsourcing
Dental billing outsourcing is a strategic solution for dental practitioners looking to streamline their billing and administrative processes to optimize their revenue. Entrusting a specialized team of dental administrators and billers with complex, time-consuming, and costly tasks allows dental practitioners to retain significant benefits in terms of cost-cutting, quality, patient care, reputation, and more.
1. It Saves Cost
Dental billing outsourcing can lead to substantial cost-saving benefits. It eliminates the need to hire and train in-house staff to do billing operations. It doesn’t require investing in any billing software, nor does it asks for your constant oversight of the management of billing and administrative operations. Since every such task is taken care of by a professional outsourced company, dental offices can greatly reduce their overhead expenses – up to 40% according to Black Book Market Research.
2. It Reduces Billing Time
According to a 2022 State of Dental Practice Management Report by the American Dental Association, dental billing outsourcing can free up staff time. This allows the staff at the dental practice to focus on more important tasks, such as patient care and improving customer satisfaction.
3. It Helps with Government Regulations Compliance
The Dental Billing Compliance Guide by American Dental Association (ADA) reports that dental billing outsourcing can help dental practices comply easily with government regulations in several ways.
Since outsourced dental billing companies are experts in their billing regulations, they stay up-to-date with any changes in the laws that in-house staff can easily overlook. This avoids mistakes that can otherwise result in penalties.
Moreover, dental billing companies use specialized software to keep track of billing compliance, which can identify potential compliance issues and take corrective measures instantly by reviewing documentation.
4. It Improves Cash Flow
ADA’s Dental Billing and Collection Best Practices Guide 2022 states that dental billing outsourcing can help practices improve their cash flow. The outsourced companies have efficient software that can help them process claims quickly through automation in billing, data entry, coding, and claim submission, leading to faster payments from insurance companies.
One statistic shows that in-house dental billing can take 5 days on average to process a claim, while outsourced dental billing service providers can process a claim in an average of 3 days per claim. This means that an outsourced dental billing company can reduce 2 days in getting paid for one claim, consequently improving your cash flow over time.
5. It Gives You Peace of Mind
Dental practices feel more confident in their dental billing process when they have their billing outsourced to a professional service provider. In turn, it gives them more time to focus on tasks that require personal attention.
The 2022 Dental Billing and Collection Best Practices Guide by the American Dental Association states that dental billing outsourcing helps reduce anxiety and stress associated with billing, finances, and insurance claims, giving dental practitioners peace of mind to tend to their customers.
Outsourced Dental Billing Cost
The average monthly cost of outsourced dental billing is somewhere around $1,500 to $1,600. This makes the average annual cost around $19,200 (1600 multiplied by 12). There are some factors that can affect this cost.
Account Receivables: A lot of dental billing companies charge their fee based on the insurance collections of the practice. The company takes care of the practice’s insurance account receivables for a percentage that becomes their fee. Managing patient account receivables is an additional, stand-alone service, which will add to the monthly cost depending upon your patient revenue.
Practice Size: The practice size also impacts the charges of dental billing companies. If you have one doctor providing one service in your practice, the charge might be lower, while multiple doctors with multiple services make the charges go up.
Similarly, if you have multiple locations of your dental practice, it can affect the pricing based on the number of locations and the collections that each location generates. Usually, the companies combine the locations under a single model to do their billing. In cases where different locations are to be billed individually, a conservative estimate is calculated based on the insurance collections of each practice.
Insurance Collections: Most dental billing companies take their fee based on how much you are collecting from insurance companies monthly. There are 5 different tiers of insurance collections that generally determine the cost of dental billing outsourcing.
- Under $40k in insurance collections
- Between $40k-$100k in insurance collections
- Between $100k-$150k in insurance collections
- Between $150-$200k in insurance collections
- Over $200k in insurance collections
New Practices: If you have a new dental practice that doesn’t have revenue and collection projections yet, dental billing companies charge you under “Startup Pricing.” Since startups require initial installation and setup of the software and the system, the initial service would include setups for the insurance providers, claims, and then the fees of the company. Companies charge a flat fee for a single-doctor startup that ranges from $750 to $1,300 per month for a set period of time — 3 to 5 months typically — until the company sees patients coming in and claims being filed.
There are some additional fees as well that impacts the monthly cost.
Setup: The setup fee usually falls between $200 to $1,000, but it may vary from company to company based on what software they are using on what equipment. The setup fee includes the warranty and shipping of computer equipment and the staff training on that equipment and software.
Stamps: Stamp cost ranges from 50 to 75 cents per item. Usually, dental companies charge a standard rate for each stamp used when a claim or statement is mailed.
PPO fee: PPO fee schedule entering falls somewhere between $100 to $200.
Medical Billing: Medical billing for a dental practice can also add to the costs. A claim billed can cost the practice around $50 to $75. Some companies charge a percentage of the production number while others bill the percentage of the collection amount.
EFT: Monthly EFT reconciliation can range somewhere between $150 to $300.
Apart from these costs, if you want to get add-on services from a dental billing company, they will come for add-on costs.
Credentialing: Credentialing may be crucial for the timely payment of claims. Getting credentialed with a single provider costs somewhere between $200 to $500. However, it may vary based on the number of providers you want to get credentialed with and their requirements. A tip: The more PPOs you build a network with, the less you will have to pay for credentialing with each provider.
PPO Fee Negotiations: If you want your dental billing company to take care of the PPO fee negotiations as well, they often charge you one flat fee per insurance or umbrella network. This cost can go anywhere up to hundreds to thousands depending on the network where PPO fees are negotiated. Some insurance companies may not negotiate the PPO fees at all or be a part of a larger umbrella network.
Insurance Verification: Insurance verification can be priced on an hourly basis or per-claim basis. The levels of insurance verification can also affect the price of the verification. The levels are eligibility, standard breakdown, and full breakdown.
Reasons to Outsource Dental Billing
Dental billing is all about cutting back on costs, time, and complications to smoothen the operations of your dental office. But there’s more to it. There are 8 reasons to outsource dental billing.
1. Your Dental Office is Brand New
If you have a brand new dental office, you already have too much to deal with, including the new staff, paperwork, finances, office infrastructure, and whatnot. In that case, dental billing outsourcing can take the rigorous task of dental billing off your plate.
When your brand-new office’s billing will be taken care of by experienced professionals, your practice will have reduced costs, improved cash flows, quick claim processing, and reduced errors.
A study by the American Dental Association reports new dental practices that outsourced their dental billing had a 65% lower rate of billing errors than those that did their billing in-house.
Consequently, a lot less problems with your billing give you much more time to deal with customers and build a good reputation for your new dental office.
2. Staffing Issues
Staffing issues are one of the major reasons why dental practices hire dental billing companies. The most persistent staffing issue in the dental industry is the high turnover rate experienced by in-house dental billing departments.
One report by ADA shows that the turnover rate for dental managers and assistants is 25%. This turnover rate is caused by a number of reasons, including the complexity of dental coding and insurance procedures, the high volume of claims, and the lack of specialized training.
The high turnover rate can make it hard for dental practitioners to maintain a consistent staff, which means there remains a constant need for hires. These hires first need to be trained in billing and claiming methods to perform their job, which adds up costs and time. All these complications are skipped when there is an outsourced dental billing company in place.
3. Office Manager is Too Busy to Handle the Billing
A dental office manager is responsible for a lot of things around the office, such as overseeing day-to-day operations, scheduling appointments, caring for patients, developing and implementing financial plans, ensuring compliance with laws, and more.
These tasks keep the manager pretty busy, which means they can easily miss out on critical issues in dental billing; if there is someone to billing in the first place. This, in turn, can result in delayed payments, billing errors, and overall low-quality of operations.
If the manager is too busy to take care of the billing, the best solution is to get something off their plate and hire a dental billing service provider, which makes the whole operation smooth and flexible.
4. High Insurance Aging Report or Low Collections Percentage
An insurance aging report refers to how long it takes for insurance companies to pay dental practices for their claims.
According to a study by the American Dental Association, the average insurance aging report for a dental practice is 45 days. If the report is higher than that, it means there is a problem with billing and processing claims, such as a billing error, incorrect coding, or unverified insurance information.
The study also found that 15% of dental practices doing in-house billing have their insurance aging report as high as 90 days.
A low collection percentage refers to how much money a dental practice is collecting from its patients and insurance companies. The ideal collection percentage is 100%, but in most dental practices, it lies somewhere around 90% (as reported by ADA) — a good percentage should be on the scale of 91% to 98%, with a preference to be on the higher end of that scale.
The report also states that 10% of dental practices with in-house billing have a collections percentage of 80% or less, which literally means these practices are not collecting the money they are owed. Non-paying patients, wrongful information on insurance claims, inefficient billing processes, and ill-equipped customer service staff are common causes behind low collections percentages.
On the other hand, with outsourced dental billing, your office will be equipped with a rigorous billing process, a well-trained staff, a good relationship with insurance companies, and improved communication between departments, which can consequently increase our collections percentage and lower the insurance aging reports.
5. The Insurance Billing Process is Time Consuming Process
The insurance billing process is a complex and time-consuming process. The rules and regulations keep changing constantly, making it difficult for dental billers to keep up with them. In many cases, insurance billing relies on manual data entry, which is a slow and error-prone process.
Moreover, some patients have multiple insurance plans which can complicate the process even more because each insurance company has its own rules and regulations. Apart from that, a good number of dental insurance claims are denied each year, which can even increase the time that it takes to get paid.
To get around these problems, the ideal solution is dental billing outsourcing. Outsourced service providers use electronic health records and practice management software that helps improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the insurance billing process.
6. Help in Resolving Claims
If unresolved claims are backing up in your dental office, you have a reason to bring in an outsourced dental billing service provider to take care of that. Outsourced companies have expertise in dealing with insurance claims and identifying errors and problems that are resulting in unresolved claims.
In fact, outsourced dental billing companies often have a dedicated team that focuses especially on unresolved claims and aims to reduce them through timely submission of claims, accurate information, proper coding and billing, and constant follow-up on denied claims.
7. Inaccurate Claims and Posting in Your Dental Office
Inaccurate claims in dental billing are insurance claims that are not submitted correctly. A claim can be considered incorrect or inaccurate due to a number of reasons, a critical one being inaccurate posting.
Posting refers to the data entry possessed where a dental biller has to post patient information, insurance information, procedure codes, and payment details into practice software. This helps track claims and collections. If any of this information is posted incorrectly, the claim becomes inaccurate. Incorrect posting is common if the data entry is being done manually.
A 2019 survey by the American Dental Association found that 40% of dental offices still use manual posting, which takes up 50% more time than electronic or automated posting because manual posting is more prone to errors than electronic posting.
A study by the University of Minnesota found that manual posting errors cost dental practices around $10,000 per year due to inaccurate claims and incorrect information posting.
Another study by ADA found that electronic dental posting can save dental offices an average of $5,000 per year. Consequently, dental billing outsourcing is ideal for electronic posting through efficient software and maintaining the accuracy of claims in your practice.
8. Help Getting Your Dental Practice Credentialed
Credentialing in dental practice refers to the process of getting a dental practice approved to work with an insurance company. It’s a rigorous process involving the submission of a variety of documentation, including the license, staff credentials, patient safety records, and more. The insurance company reviews this information and determines whether or not a dental practice meets its standard. If the dental practice is credentialed, the insurance company allows the dental practice to send bills to the company for the services rendered to patients.
The more insurance companies your practice is credentialed with, the larger and more satisfied your patient base can become. When a dental practice is credentialed, patients can have their insurance providers directly pay the dental practice instead of paying out of their pocket and asking for reimbursement later.
Since getting credentialed is a difficult and time-consuming process, a lot of dental practices need outside help to get it done, which ideally comes in the form of dental billing outsourcing.
A study by ADA found that dental practices with outsourced billing companies in place were more likely to be credentialed with insurance companies than those that did their billing in-house. The study also found that dental offices with outsourced billing had to wait for a shorter time to get credentialed than those with in-house billing.
Another study found that dental practices with outsourced billing saved up to $10,000 per year on credentialing costs, and they had a higher rate of claims being paid in ful
How Do I Choose the Right Dental Billing Company?
There are a few important things to remember when choosing a dental billing company and a few red flags indicating to avoid certain dental billing companies.
When choosing a dental billing company, consider the following things.
1. Identify Your Current Needs
It is important to identify your needs — why exactly do you need the billing company – before you sign anything. Some factors you need to consider to determine your needs are the size of your practice; do you have a single location or multiple locations?
You also need to identify what type of services you need. Some companies only offer basic services, like claim submission and payment tracking, while others offer scheduling, insurance verification, coding, and claim resolving as well. Once you are sure of your needs, you can easily identify the right billing company to work with.
2. Plan Your Budget
Your budget can significantly impact your decision to hire a dental billing company that sits well with you. Different billing companies charge different rates for each of their services. Some dental billing providers can range within a few hundred dollars per month, while others go up to several thousand.
According to a survey by the American Dental Association, the average cost of dental billing outsourcing is $1,500 per month. However, the cost ranges anywhere between $500 and $5,000.
This cost depends on a number of factors, such as your needs, your requirement for support, and also the reputation and size of a dental billing company. The only way you can shortlist a dental company to go with from a large pool is when you have a dedicated budget in place. After that, you can explain your needs to shortlisted companies and get quotes.
3. Observe How Professionally Their Sales Team Treats You
Professionalism is key when you are trying to bring in a third party to your office. A cost-effective dental billing company that suits your needs can still ring alarms if they don’t treat you professionally.
A professional sales team is knowledgeable about the company’s services and changing regulations in the insurance world, they will answer all your questions, give you references, and be respectful of your time.
An ADA study found that 60% of dental practices said that professionalism played an important role when they were deciding to choose a dental billing company. Learn more about How to Choose the Right Dental Billing Company?
What are the Red Flags When Choosing a Dental Billing Company?
Now you know what to look for in a dental billing company when you are hiring them. There are some things that you need to avoid at all costs. Let’s look closely at the Red Flags when choosing a dental billing company.
1. Not Licensed or Insured
If the dental billing company you are deciding to choose is not licensed or insured, it’s a major red flag. The company is legally allowed to operate and is not equipped to look after your billing.
2. Not Transparent About Pricing
Pricing plays a major role when you are looking for the right dental billing company to outsource your practice’s billing. Even the companies know how crucial pricing is to your practice, and some might use this knowledge to fool you.
Sometimes the pricing is too good to be true – significantly lower than the competitors – which is a hint that they may be cutting corners and/or not experienced. This also means that the company might not be transparent about its fees. They show a lower amount at first but increase it every month with hidden charges, which is a major red flag.
3. A Pushy or Aggressive Sales Team
Another red flag to avoid is when the sales team of the dental billing company is too pushy and aggressive. A reputable company is respectful of your time, does not sugarcoat things for you to get you on board, and does not pressure you into signing a contract.
If you see any of these red flags, avoid working with that company. Find out more about Red Flags When Choosing a Dental Billing Company.
Are You the Right Fit to Outsource Dental Billing?
Still on the fence about outsourcing dental billing for your dental practice? Here are a few signs that show you need outsourced dental billing.
1. You Have a Newly Started Dental Practice
You must already have too much on your plate if your dental practice is new. You have to manage a new staff, organize newly coming paperwork and finances, maintain your office infrastructure, and market your new practice. In such a case, dental billing is one more rigorous task that can otherwise be smoothed out if you bring in an outsourced dental billing company.
With a new practice, you have new responsibilities to maintain high collection, low insurance aging reports, low number of inaccurate claims, and of course, getting credentialed by insurance companies. These things are time-consuming, especially if your new practice’s staff is still training. It’s a sign that hiring a dental billing company will make things easy for you.
2. Collection Rate Below 98% and High Aging Report
A good collection rate is somewhere between 91% to 98%, and dental practices can reach exactly 98% or even more than that if they have a good billing system in place.
Similarly, the average days for an insurance aging report are 45, but a study shows that around 15% of dental practices have insurance aging reports going as high as 90 days. That is because those dental practices take care of insurance claims in-house, without a professional that understands how to deal with the insurance provider.
If you have a collection rate below 98% with high insurance aging reports, it’s a major sign that you are the right fit to hire a dental billing company.
3. High Write-offs
A write-off is the amount of money that a dental practice is not able to collect from a patient or an insurance company and has to record as an expense in their financial statements. It’s the equivalent of a “bad debt.”
A write-off can occur due to various reasons. One is that the patient may not have insurance that covers the full cost and the customer refuses to understand that. Another reason can be the denial of an insurance claim due to a coding or billing error. If the practice is not submitting the claim correctly, the insurance company will deny it.
These issues, resulting in write-offs, increase the expenses of the practice and reduce the profits. A high number of write-offs is a critical sign that you need a good dental billing company in place.
4. Issues with Your Dental Staff
If there are any issues with your current dental staff, including the ones that take care of the billing and claims, you certainly need someone else to take care of that stuff more professionally and without any issues.
In that case, a dental billing company can be your ideal option. Since they are a third party, they are less likely to create any issues in your office and keep the work 100% professional.
5. Patients Drop Off
Error-prone dental billing and administration can directly result in patients dropping off. Too many administrative errors, inaccurate billing, unexpected out-of-pocket costs, and denial of insurance coverage can lead to frustrated and unhappy patients, which will ultimately take their business elsewhere.
If patients are dropping off from your dental practice, take that as a sign and bring in a more professional, outsourced dental billing company.
Signs You Are Not a Good Fit for Outsourced Dental Billing
Despite the many benefits of outsourced dental billing, there might be some reasons why your dental practice is not ready to take on an outsourced dental billing company. Here are a few signs that show you are not the right fit to hire a dental billing company.
1. Your Systems Are Not Up to Date
Your dental practice may not be a good fit for an outsourced dental billing company if your systems are not up to date. Not updated systems mean using outdated software and an ill-organized billing system with no previous records.
When a dental billing company takes over, they integrate their own software and automation to speed up the process, but if there isn’t a systematic process, to begin with, it might be difficult for a dental billing company to be compatible with your office.
2. Your In-house Team is Unwilling to Work with an Outsourced Dental Billing Company
It’s important to check in with your current in-house staff before signing a contract with a dental billing company. If your in-house team is not on board to work with an outsourced dental billing company and maintain healthy interdepartmental communication with them, there’s no use wasting your resources on a dental billing company.
Your in-house team needs to be willing to work with an outsourced dental billing company in order for you to become the right fit to have the third party in your office.
3. Communication is Not a Priority to Your Dental Team
Communication is the key, especially if you are running a whole dental office. And if proper, healthy, and timely communication is not a priority to your dental office team, you are not a right fit for a dental billing company.
An outsourced company needs steady communication to track payments, bill patients, and deal with different departments of the office to make sure the administration is smooth, but if your dental staff isn’t big on communication, a third-party dental billing company won’t be compatible with your office.
4. When You Are Looking for a Quick Fix
There is nothing quick about dental billing. Even an outsourced dental billing company can take months or years to bring you great performance, especially if the performance before their orientation wasn’t exemplary.
If you want your collections rates to go high overnight or insurance aging reports to start coming in a week, you might be looking for a quick fix, which is not something reputable dental billing can do for you. The ideal process takes time.
5. Dental Business Owners Are Not Willing to Get Involved
Similar to how a dental business manager wants to know everything about a dental billing company before hiring them, the company will want to know everything about your dental practice before getting on board, and if the owner is not willing to get involved, things might not be ideal.
A dental billing company relies heavily on communication with all departments, including the owner. Moreover, dental billing companies need to be able to make decisions on behalf of the owners of the dental practice, such as how to take care of a collection issue and when to appeal a denied claim – these decisions impact the profitability of the business and the owners need to be on board.
Moreover, there are several documents, such as confidentiality agreements and cost-associated contracts that owners need to sign in order to get a dental billing company on board.
Will Outsourcing Dental Billing Replace My Current In-house Admin Team?
No. Outsourcing dental billing can benefit your dental practice significantly, but an outsourced company is not a replacement for your in-house billing and admin team. Here’s why.
1. Communication
Outsourced dental billing companies want effective, timely, and accurate communication to understand your office’s needs and get the job done smoothly. That is where your current in-house dental practice admin and billing staff can update them on things, show them the culture around the office, and maintain steady communication with them to get all hands on deck.
2. Decision-making
Outsourced dental billing companies need to be able to make decisions on behalf of the business. In such cases, in-house billing staff can guide the outsourced team about the practice policies and procedures to handle certain things. That is because the in-house staff has been longer in the office, knows the hierarchy better, and may be equipped better to deal with certain issues.
3. Accuracy & Confidentiality
Your in-house dental admin team and billing staff might know the patients better because of their experience in your office and understand the requirements of each patient more than the outsourced billing company. This means that your in-house staff can pull more accurate information on each patient and spot an error that has been made in the past and needs to be corrected now.
This also means that your current dental staff knows everything about patient and practice confidentiality policies and agreements, and can help the third-party company understand that.
When your in-house staff and the dental billing company are working together in a collaborative environment, it increases your practice’s productivity, which results in better output.
Introducing Your Dental Team to an Outsourced Dental Billing Company?
If you have finalized an outsourced company to hire, it’s time to bring them into the office and introduce your dental team to them.
An important point to note here is that by this time, your in-house dental team should be aware of the outsourcing contract and shouldn’t just hear it from you at the last minute.
1. Introduce Each Person and Their Roles
To ensure a smooth collaboration, the first thing you should do is introduce your new partners and your in-house dental team to each other and explain the role of each person to the team. You can have a little ice-breaking session as well with the introduction. This helps give a headstart to communication and trust.
2. Communicate the Purpose
As you are introducing the team to the outsourced company, do shed some light on the purpose of dental billing outsourcing. Explain the benefits and reasons why you have decided to outsource dental billing and how it can be good for the practice and each person involved with it.
3. Provide Comprehensive Information
Share relevant details with your team about the outsourced dental billing. Tell your team about their experience and expertise. Allow the outsourced team to ask for any work-related information from the dental team to know things better around the office before they set up.
4. Establish Proper Channels of Communication
This one is really important. Each person – from your in-house team and the outsourced team — should know where to go to ask what question. You, as the person in charge, should allow them to do so with the help of proper hierarchy or channels of communication. This will only help your practice in the long run
5. Conduct Onboarding and Training Sessions
Making your team familiar with the outsourced company is a time-consuming process, but it’s worth it. A great way to do that is to conduct a formal onboarding session where you can take care of all the points above and set a timeline of training sessions to make your team understand that they are as much valuable as the outsourced team.
Conclusion
Now you know all there is to know about dental billing outsourcing. Not only it eases your job of dental billing, it actually maximizes your revenues. You have read about outsourced dental billing costs, what to look for when choosing a dental billing company, when to avoid them, when you are the right fit for outsourcing dental billing, when you are not the right practice to hire them, and how to introduce them to your team when you’ve finally selected a company to work with.
You are now ready to take things forward and find the right outsourced dental billing company for your dental practice.
