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Dental Benefits Deconstructed: Dentists’ Top Concerns

Dental Benefits Deconstructed: Dentists’ Top Concerns
by Tammy Adams

Unsurprisingly, dentists across the nation have lots of questions and concerns when it comes to their patients' dental plans, benefits and third-party payers.

From pre-authorization headaches to refund requests, dental benefits can be a confusing topic to navigate. Most dentists would rather be in the exam room, doing what they were trained to do in dental school, rather than trying to decipher benefits rules and policies.

This is where the team of experts at the ADA Center for Dental Benefits, Coding and Quality within the Practice Institute really shine.

They continually receive and address a wide array of dental claim submission and adjudication questions from member dentists and practice staff members.

Of course, there are specific concerns, unique to one dentist in one practice, but, generally speaking, the team receives similar questions that come in from across the nation.

Here are three of the top questions/concerns the benefits team addresses on a regular basis:

Provider contract issues.

If a dentist has contracted with a third-party payer, they likely have agreed to abide by the carrier's processing policies. The trouble arises when dentists are not aware of these policies and procedures or even know where to find information on them.

This, of course, makes it difficult for the dentist to have a clear understanding of their contractual obligations. The ADA Contract Analysis Service is a part of the ADA Division of Legal Affairs. The service is available free of charge to members who request a review.

Read full article on MultiBriefs.