Gavi Cohn is a partner at Apex Reimbursement Specialists, a dental practice revenue cycle and practice management consulting firm headquartered in Baltimore, MD.

Gavi Cohn, Partner, Apex Reimbursement Specialists

The Importance of Revenue Cycle Management for Dental Practices | Image Credit: ©  thanksforbuying - stock.adobe.com

You started your dental practice to help patients and members of your community maintain their oral health. However, you need to have the proper amount of money coming in to help all of those patients and continue to expand your practice. Mastering revenue cycle management will give you greater insight into the overall financial health of your dental practice.

Below are a few areas you should focus on and ideas that may help your practice increase productivity and growth.

Steady cash flow is essential for any business, and dental practices are no exception. Revenue cycle management (RCM) ensures that the services you perform are appropriately coded, billed, and reimbursed in a timely fashion. Problems with any of these steps can disrupt cash flow and jeopardize the financial health of your dental practice. Efficient RCM minimizes these delays and ensures you receive payments promptly.

The foundation of good RCM is handling administrative processes efficiently. From scheduling appointments and verifying insurance coverage to billing and collections, these tasks can be complex and time-consuming. By finding and implementing robust RCM systems, you’ll ensure that these processes are streamlined as much as possible.

Healthcare billing is complex, and there are numerous regulations and guidelines that must be adhered to. Dental practices need to stay compliant with these regulations to avoid legal issues and penalties. RCM professionals are well-versed in these regulations and can ensure that your practice adheres to them, which will minimize your risk of audits or legal complications.

While RCM primarily deals with financial processes, its impact extends to patient experience. Clear and transparent billing processes, accurate insurance claims, and efficient handling of payments all contribute to a great patient experience. When patients have a hassle-free experience with billing, their overall satisfaction with your dental practice will increase, which improves patient loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals.

Dental practices that have efficient RCM are able to invest in their long-term success. By optimizing financial processes, these practices are better positioned to weather economic uncertainties, adapt to evolving industry trends, and invest in technologies that improve patient care. Building strong RCM systems at your dental practice will allow you to focus on what you do best—high-quality dental services—without having a to-do list of billing and administrative tasks.

Ease the Process by Working with Specialists

Whether you’re looking for a way to make the insurance verification process easier or hoping to improve your overall patient communication plan, there are resources available to clinicians. 

APEX Reimbursement Specialists is one such resource, working with practices to increase profits. If interested, you can call 410-710-6005. 

For more information on dental practice management and managing your finances, visit 

https://www.dentalproductsreport.com/practice-management 

Articles

By mastering revenue cycle management, your dental practice should improve in a variety of areas and thrive. 

The Importance of Revenue Cycle Management for Dental Practices

Tips for Accurate Claims Submission to Ensure Smooth Operation | Image Credit: © gamjai - stock.adobe.com 

In the world of health care, accurate claims submission is critical, whether you’re at a small family dental practice or a large practice with multiple dentists. When you aren’t submitting claims properly, it will take even more time and money to get things fixed—and it will take longer for you to get the money that you’re owed. How can you improve claims submission at your dental practice?

The first step in improving claims submission is improving the accuracy of your patient information collection. Start by collecting comprehensive patient information during their initial visit. Accurate personal details, insurance information, and a thorough medical history are the foundation of a successful claim. Make sure that you regularly update patient records to reflect any changes, which can help avoid discrepancies that may lead to claim denials.

Accurate coding is another crucial element of successful claims submission. Ensure that all procedures and diagnoses are coded correctly and using the most recent codes. Every time that updates come out, make sure you train your staff and keep them abreast of any changes.

Documentation matters for claims submission at any dental practice. Set standards for your dental team that allow you to maintain meticulous records of treatments, including images, x-rays, and any other relevant notes. Clear documentation will support the codes that you submit and also help to document the entire course of treatment. In an ideal world, you’ll never need to use this documentation. However, it will be invaluable in the event of a claim rejection.

Leverage dental practice management software to streamline your claims submission process. The best platforms have built-in features that help with accurate coding, real-time verification of insurance eligibility, and electronic claims submission. Companies like APEX Reimbursement Specialists can help you find the right technology solutions for your needs.



“From Claims to Collections” Panel Discussion Kicks Off Chicago Dental Society CDS Midwinter Meeting’s Opening Day

Even if you submit a claim that looks perfect on paper, a claim denial can still occur. It is important to address these rejections promptly. Investigate the cause of the claim denial, correct the error, and resubmit the claim as soon as possible. Timely responses can significantly expedite the reimbursement process.

Work with Experts to Make Billing and Payment Easy

Whether you’re looking for a way to make the insurance verification process easier or hoping to improve your overall patient communication plan, consider contacting companies with proven track records in helping dental practices. You can contact the APEX Reimbursement Specialists team by calling (410) 710-6005.

The company also recommends that practices aim to prioritize the patient experience in a variety of ways, including improving their billing processes. Communication is one key method, asmany patients are unsure of their dental coverage, and a little education can go a long way.

Proper claims submission is critical for the financial health of your dental practice. How can you improve your accuracy? 


Tips for Accurate Claims Submission to Ensure Smooth Operations

How Improving Your Billing Can Improve the Patient Experience at Your Dental Practice | Image Credit: © Zkoria - stock.adobe.com

Dental practices that provide excellent care and a good patient experience consistently have their chairs full and an easier time reaching profitability. Even if you are doing a good job on the services that you perform, a negative patient experience can lead to serious financial consequences for your dental practice. Improving billing practices is one way to give your practice a boost.

Effective communication is key to preventing any misunderstandings regarding billing with your patients. Your dental practice can take proactive steps to educate patients about your billing procedures, their insurance coverage, and the payment options that you accept. Ensure that your staff members are well-versed in explaining billing. Many patients are unsure of their dental coverage, and a little bit of communication and education can go a long way.

Simplify the billing process at your dental practice as much as possible. Implement streamlined systems that make it easy to bill promptly and submit insurance paperwork. Working with a partner, like APEX Reimbursement Specialists, can help you to ensure that you are using all the tools at your disposal. There are many types of software available today that can expedite the billing cycle, reduce errors, and make sure that the billing process is as easy for your dental practice and patients as possible.

Financial concerns can often deter patients from seeking essential dental care. Offering flexible payment options can help alleviate this concern and improve the patient experience at your dental practice. Consider offering installment plans through a third-party financing company so that your patients don’t feel like they need to delay the dental care that they need because of their finances.

Insurance claims and coverage complexities can be overwhelming for patients of your dental practice. Your practice can proactively assist patients in understanding their insurance benefits by confirming their benefits ahead of time and providing them with an accurate estimate of their treatment costs. Make sure that you are regularly confirming coverage with insurance companies, as patients often have benefits or plans change from year to year.

One of the best ways to improve the billing practices at your dental practice is by asking your patients for feedback. Encourage feedback from patients regarding their billing experiences. Constructive criticism can unveil areas for improvement that you aren’t currently aware of. Implement a system to gather patient feedback, be it through surveys, direct conversations, or online reviews. The most valuable feedback comes directly from the patients you work with every day.

Improve Your Dental Practice with Experienced Specialists

Whether you’re looking for a way to make the insurance verification process easier or hoping to improve your overall patient communication plan, companies like APEX Reimbursement Specialists can help.

For additional articles focusing on practice management and financial matters related to dentists, visit 

Your dental practice can prioritize the patient experience in a variety of ways, including improving your billing. 

 How Improving Your Billing Can Improve the Patient Experience at Your Dental Practice

How to Find the Insurance Plans That Best Fit Your Dental Practice: © Bearsky23 - stock.adobe.com


Whether you are working at a brand new dental practice and looking to choose the initial insurance plans you will be in-network for or you’ve owned your practice for decades, choosing the right insurance plans is key. What is right for one practice is not necessarily right for another, so doing your research and thinking critically are important steps in the process. How can you find the best insurance plans for your dental practice?

Think About the Benefits of Being In-Network

Being in-network with an insurance company is not as easy as simply accepting their insurance. Instead, you need to complete the credentialing and recredentialing processes, as well as work with the rules set by the insurance company. This may not seem overly challenging, but things can rapidly become complicated when you consider that every company has different types of rules, and it can feel like a full-time job simply managing them. As a result, it’s important to weigh whether the benefits are worth it. Being an in-network practice will provide you with free marketing to patients within the network, as well as access to more patients.

While you can work with APEX Reimbursement Specialists to increase your reimbursement rates, it’s a good idea to take a look at the insurance plans you may partner with ahead of time. What are their reimbursement rates for the procedures that you perform the most often? Are any of the rates so low that even negotiation may not help to even things out?

Another key consideration when determining which insurance plans to accommodate at your practice is how many patients will be affected. If you have a significant patient population for one insurance policy, it may be worth sacrificing a little bit of leeway in your reimbursement rates in order to keep your patient volume as high as possible. In other cases, if you do not have many patients currently who use a policy and it is not offered by major employers in your area, it might not be worth the trouble of credentialing.

Improve Your Business by Partnering with the Right Insurance Plans and Working with Specialists

Whether you’re interested in revenue optimization or looking for other services to boost your business, you should do a little research and consider assistance from companies with experience in the dental industry such as APEX Reimbursement Specialists. 

This article is the third in a series written by APEX Reimbursement Specialists. Previous articles addressed revenue cycle management and practice efficiencies. For more information on these topics, visit 

All insurance plans are not equal, and failing to properly sort through your options can leave you at a disadvantage. 

How to Find the Insurance Plans That Best Fit Your Dental Practice

Unplugging Bottlenecks in Your Dental Practice’s Revenue Cycle | Image Credit: © Kzenon - stock.adobe.com

In every industry, efficiency matters. When processes take too long or tie up your schedule, it can be hard to decrease your expenses and raise your revenue. Dental practices often have bottlenecks that prevent them from making as much as they could.

How can you identify and start unplugging bottlenecks in your dental practice’s revenue cycle? Here are 3 key areas that you should work on in an effort to ensure that you’re operating efficiently as a dental practice and getting the most out of your revenue cycle.

One of the biggest dissatisfactions that many patients express about the entire healthcare system, including dentistry, is the total length that they have to be in the office versus the total length of time that they are actually having a treatment or visit with the doctor.

For example, a patient might be told to show up to the office 15 minutes early to complete paperwork and update their information. After completing the paperwork and turning it in, they might then wait another 20 minutes to be taken back to an exam room. Once they are in the exam room, it might be 10 to 15 

 minutes before they actually see a hygienist or a dentist.

While many patients expect this now, it can be bad news for your revenue cycle. When it takes a lot of time to go to the dentist or doctor, patients are less likely to return for preventative care visits, which cuts into your revenue. Eliminating scheduling and service bottlenecks can help improve your revenue cycle.

Many dental practices are still performing tasks manually that could be outsourced or otherwise automated. Even small things, like forcing your patients to call you instead of also allowing for online scheduling, can add up in your day and leave you with less time to focus on helping the patients that are most in need of your specific attention. By using your time efficiently, it will be easier for you to get everything done and improve your revenue cycle.

Identify Key Areas of the Practice for Improvement

While some bottlenecks may occur everywhere, others often have a specific part of the dental practice that is most affected. The 3 places that many offices find are most impacted by bottlenecks that affect the revenue cycle are the front desk, the sterilization area, and the operatory. Some of the key things in those spaces that slow time down and prevent a more streamlined experience include:

Dental charts that are not intuitive or digitized

Digital information that cannot be accessed on multiple computers throughout the office

APEX Reimbursement Specialists can assist you in both identifying and eliminating these bottlenecks to improve your practice’s revenue cycle permanently.

For more information on this topic, read: 

Why Revenue Cycle Management Is Critical to Dental Practice Success

Make sure these 3 areas of your practice are running as efficiently as possible to ensure your patients are happy and that you are operating at peak performance. 

Unplugging Bottlenecks in Your Dental Practice’s Revenue Cycle

Revenue cycle management, also referred to as RCM, is one of the most critical things that dental practices and other healthcare organizations need to master to survive. Your practice’s RCM includes a broad variety of things that help to improve or harm your dental practice’s financial health.

For example, RCM can include everything from patient scheduling to accounts receivable management to patient payment processing. What are some of the reasons why RCM is so important to dental practices? Take a look here:

It Gives You a Look at How You’re Doing

Particularly in busy practices where you are constantly moving from one task to another, it can feel hard to take a moment to step aside and review where you are at. It’s even more challenging when you do not have an easy way to access reports and other critical information. Revenue cycle management, providing that you are tracking valuable KPIs, is a fast and simple way to get a look at how your practice is doing. By tracking them over time, you will gain valuable insight.

When you have a finely tuned RCM process, many of the hiccups that can derail your practice and your finances can be straightened out. For example, most people who invest in a proven RCM process experience lower claim denial rates and higher collection rates. If the staff has been properly trained on correct coding and billing procedures, you have a proactive insurance verification process in place, and you are proactively communicating with patients about what you expect from them, it is easy to thrive.

Working with a partner for your revenue cycle management, like Apex Reimbursement Specialists, is an easy way to help you get expert assistance managing many parts of your practice. For example, instead of needing to handle coding, billing, and collections all on your own, you can access true experts who are able to handle many challenging aspects of practice management for you. This will give your administrative staff more time to focus on other things, and it will also help you to focus more on other things—including providing the best care to your patient—that are better use of your time. 

For more information on Apex Reimbursement Specialists, visit 

In this first of a series of articles from Apex Reimbursement Specialists, we address why it’s important for dental practices to understand and master revenue cycle management. 