|
Articles
Delta Dental's 2000 Claims and Customer
Service Performance
Mark that Date!
Flagship-DeltaCare Satisfaction Survey Results
PANDA Helps Dentists Recognize Child Abuse
Delta Dental Supports Blue Ribbon Campaign
Reporting Child Abuse
Association Names Tracy Customer Service Representative
of the Year
Dental PPOs Gaining in Popularity
Delta Dental's high service levels continued to
improve last year, even as the number of subscribers
grew substantially, to more than 578,000. Here's
a glimpse at some of our 2000 performance statistics:
- We're processing more claims faster. Delta Dental
processed more than 2.3 million claims in 2000,
nearly 10% more than in 1999, and over 250% more
than in 1992. Our claim cycle time was at one of
the lowest levels ever in 2000, averaging 7.8 business
days. This is nearly 25% faster than in 1997.
- We're answering more calls faster. More than
577,000 calls were handled by Customer Service
in 2000 - 30,000 more calls than in the previous
year. Nearly 60% of all calls are answered in less
than 20 seconds. Our average speed of answer is
faster than ever. Our average is 37 seconds - seven
seconds faster than last year and more than twice
as fast as in 1998!
- Our quality control remains consistently high.
Delta Dental measures performance in several key
areas, including clerical accuracy, payment accuracy
and dollar accuracy. In each area, we achieved
98.5% accuracy or higher. Our accuracy rate has
been 98% or higher on all measures since 1995.
"Our continued high levels of performance can
be attributed to many factors," says Bruce Silverman,
Senior Vice President of Claims and Customer Service. "First
and foremost, Delta Dental has an excellent, well-trained
staff of claims and service associates. They take pride
in their work and continually strive to succeed." In
addition, he states, "Delta Dental relies on the
use of technology to expand and improve our service
capabilities. In 2000, for instance, we implemented
Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) into our call
center. This technology allows information entered
into the Voice Response System by the callers to be
'popped' onto the representatives' screen as the call
is transferred to their desk. This saves callers from
having to repeat information previously given and gets
them off the phone quicker. "Also in 2000, Silverman
says,
"Delta Dental's electronic claims capabilities resulted
in 33% of all claims received at Delta being electronic. Delta
Dental also expanded its quality assurance monitoring through
an automated sampling methodology, giving us faster access
to performance data and resulting in enhanced training abilities."
He adds, "The combination of a dedicated management staff,
hard-working associates and technology has given Delta Dental
a winning formula."
It's almost tee-time! The Eleventh Annual Delta Dental Golf
Classic takes place on June 5, 2001, at Cherry Valley Country
Club in Skillman, New Jersey. The golf classic benefits Special
Olympics in New Jersey, a non-profit organization that provides
athletic training and competition for children and adults
with mental retardation. For registration information, please
call 973-285-4059.
DeltaCare participants indicated overwhelming satisfaction
with their program, according to a survey conducted late
last year by Brownstone Information Resources of Morristown,
New Jersey, for Flagship-DeltaCare. DeltaCare is a dental
HMO-type program that provides a comprehensive level of dental
benefits at an affordable price. DeltaCare is often offered
in conjunction with other Delta Dental programs, allowing
employees to choose the best combination of cost and benefits
for themselves and their families. DeltaCare is administered
by Flagship Health Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Delta Dental
Plan of New Jersey, Inc. The survey was sent by mail to 1,000
randomly selected plan participants who received dental services
from their DeltaCare participating dentist in the last 12
months. From this pool, 385 members responded. Among the
findings:
- Members rate their experience with Flagship-DeltaCare
highly. Factors contributing to overall satisfaction include
their comfort with the dentist, ease of traveling to the
dental office, experience with customer service, possible
out-of-pocket cost for coverage and overall oral health.
Eighty-five percent expressed overall satisfaction with
DeltaCare.
- Members give the program high scores for value. When
asked to measure the benefits received from the plan for
the money spent, members rated Flagship at a high level
of 87%. Ninety-four percent are satisfied with the plan's
routine coverage, such as cleanings and x-rays. For non-routine
services, such as gum work, root canals, caps, crowns,
dentures and fillings, 66% expressed satisfaction.
- Members say they are satisfied with the quality of care.
Eight-five percent of those surveyed said they are satisfied
overall with their primary care dentist. Factors contributing
to their overall impression about their dentist include
quality of work, personal interaction (people skills) and
accessibility (convenience). Eighty-eight percent reported
being satisfied with the quality of treatment provided
by their primary care dentist. Even higher grades were
given for the dentist's ability to treat needs (89%) and
offered instructions for follow-up care (90%). Similarly,
members were very pleased with the treatment they received
from office staff (91%). In addition, high levels of satisfaction
were given for the overall quality of care received from
specialists (88%).
- Convenience factor also earns high scores. More than
eight of 10 members rated their ability to access primary
dental care highly. Nearly nine of 10 find their dentist's
office conveniently located. About seven out of 10 members
rated the ease of scheduling appointments satisfactorily,
although some participants commented on longer-than-expected
waits. Also, many members wish the network of Flagship-DeltaCare
dentists was larger.
- Members rate Flagship-DeltaCare customer service highly.
Members gave this area an overall satisfaction rating of
88%. Customer service agents rated highly in both courtesy
(95%) and how accurately they answered members' questions
(91%).
As evidenced by the high level of satisfaction in nearly all
categories, Flagship-DeltaCare is meeting the needs of its
members,"
said the survey report. "Overall satisfaction with the
quality of dental care, and levels of satisfaction with overall
plan coverage and costs are all rated highly."
Tens of thousands of children in New Jersey and Connecticut
are victims of child abuse each year. Delta Dental's PANDA
(Prevent Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness) program
is working hard to save them from further injury. PANDA,
funded by Delta Dental's philanthropic arm, the Delta Dental
Plan of New Jersey Foundation, educates dental office personnel,
teachers and school nurses about how to recognize and report
suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. Dentists have
a unique opportunity to detect child abuse injuries. Nationally,
about 65% of child abuse injuries involve the head, neck
or mouth areas. However, a disproportionately lower percentage
of the 50,000 cases of child abuse reported each year in
New Jersey come from dentists. The reason for this low reporting
rate by dentists may be related to lack of training and concerns
about the ramifications of becoming legally involved in such
cases. Studies indicate that dentists educated in this area
are nearly five times as likely to report suspected abuse.
Many people, including dentists, are reluctant to report
suspected child abuse because they are uncertain whether
an injury resulted from abuse or something else. PANDA shows
dentists how to identify the difference between accidental
injuries and those inflicted by a guardian or caretaker.
Thousands of dentists have attended PANDA programs throughout
New Jersey and the country. Programs are offered several
times a month, not only to dentists, but also to school nurses,
teachers and other health-care providers.
Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey in April runs its Blue Ribbon
campaign, which Delta Dental supports. Through volunteers,
community agencies and businesses, the organization distributes
more than 375,000 ribbons, which people wear throughout the
month to raise awareness of the problem. Each ribbon comes
with information on how to prevent child abuse. For more
information about the Blue Ribbon campaign, call 800-CHILDREN
or visit its website at www.preventchildabusenj.org.
To report a suspected case of child abuse in New Jersey,
contact your local DYFS District Office between 9 a.m. and
5 p.m. There is at least one District Office in every county.
After hours, the Office of Child Abuse Control operates a
toll-free hotline round the clock, at 800-792-8610. In Connecticut,
call the CARELINE at 800-842-2288. Anyone who reports abuse
or neglect, or testifies in a child-abuse hearing resulting
from such a report, is immune from any criminal or civil
liability as a result.
Lisa Tracy, a Customer Service Agent with Delta Dental Plan
of New Jersey, was named the customer service representative
of the year by the Garden State Chapter of the International
Customer Service Association. Chosen by a group of her peers,
Tracy won the award because of her ability to extend herself
to resolve problems on a daily basis. Tracy earned the award
based in part on a letter submitted on her behalf. "We
feel that Lisa exemplifies what Delta Dental represents -
a caring company with a sincere desire to provide superior
service to all our customers," explains Carol Legreid,
Tracy's team leader. "Lisa receives numerous compliments
regarding her professional and helpful manner from our subscribers
and dental providers." The award was given by the Garden
State Customer Service Association, which is the New Jersey
chapter of the 2,000-member national organization. The Garden
State chapter has approximately 100 members that network
throughout the year to discuss topics such as technology,
hiring, and customer retention. Through a nomination process,
the organization presents one award annually to the customer
service representative that truly goes above and beyond his/her
job description. The award is given the first week of October
to coincide with National Customer Service Week. Tracy has
been a Customer Service Agent with Delta Dental Plan of New
Jersey for two years and is now a Senior Customer Service
Agent.
More organizations than ever are choosing dental Preferred
Provider Option (PPO) programs as their dental plans. Five
years ago, just 15% of subscribers with dental plans were
enrolled in dental PPOs; today, that number has grown to
40%.Delta Dental's dental PPO program, called DeltaPreferred
Option, allows employers to increase the value of dental
benefits to employees, while actually decreasing their overall
dental plan costs. Nearly 2,000 dentists are enrolled in
this plan in New Jersey and more than 800 in Connecticut.
The number of dental offices participating in DeltaPreferred
Option nationwide grew 8% (to more than 50,000 offices) over
the past year. The nationwide network added nearly 2,000
general dentists and more than 2,000 specialists. The number
of specialists participating in DeltaPreferred Option nationwide
increased 17% over the past year! The Delta Dental nationwide
network is the largest provider of dental benefits in the
United States. One in four Americans with dental coverage
are served by the Delta Dental network.
|
