A majority of dental offices do not update coding resources regularly to stay in the know, which means they are risking denials, delays, and disruptions in their dental practice revenue. Does this sound familiar? In this article, we discuss proven strategies to increase your revenue through dental coding, with the added benefit of increased compliance.
Stay up-to-date on dental coding changes
Each year, the Code Maintenance Committee (CMC) meets to determine additions, revisions, and deletions from the CDT code set. It is critical to stay up-to-date on yearly CDT code changes to keep dental claim denials at a minimum and dental practice revenue at a maximum.
If you submit a deleted code on a dental claim, it will trigger an avoidable denial that delays payment. Similarly, if you submit the wrong active code on a dental claim, it will trigger an avoidable denial. Dental claim denials like this are unexpected and can negatively impact patient trust.
Here are some trusted resources for staying up-to-date on CDT code changes and dental billing best practices:
- Practice Booster Online subscription
- Practice Booster’s Dental Coding with Confidence guide
- American Dental Association Current Dental Terminology and Coding Companion Kit
- Dental Coding and Billing CE courses
Conduct regular dental coding audits
Since 2020, there have been over 200 CDT code changes, with 12 of those changes being the full removal of a code. So how do you make sure you’re submitting the correct codes for maximum reimbursement? Conduct regular coding audits.
There usually isn’t much downtime in a dental practice. And even if there was, it would take an expert level of dental coding knowledge to determine if every CDT billed out in the year was correct. Who has this level of knowledge?
Dr. Greg, and the experts at Practice Booster, do all of the research on the yearly CDT code changes so you don’t have to. We work hand-in-hand with the American Dental Association (ADA) to ensure that the information we give is accurate and thorough.
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Address common dental coding challenges
Yearly CDT code changes, along with evolving dental technology, often present new coding challenges. Subscribe to trusted publications that provide accurate information and promote compliance.
READ FRIGHTENLY COMMON DENTAL CODING ERRORS AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Maximize reimbursement opportunities
If you find yourself holding your breath and crossing your fingers when you send a dental claim, you are not alone. While the fate of each dental claim is unknown once submitted, there are a few key processes that can bring peace of mind that the claim was 1) submitted with all of the necessary information and 2) if it is denied, there is a plan of action. Follow the tips above, ask Dr. Greg to audit your processes, and use Practice Booster resources to stay in the know on tips and best practices to maximize dental claim reimbursement.
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