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Articles
Delta Dental Elects New Chairman, Board
Members
Same-Day Dentist Referrals Now Available
VanBrunt Elected Chairman of DeltaUSA
Board of Directors
Millennium Countdown-Are All Your Systems
Go?
Thinking About EDI? Here's Why You Should
Give It A Try!
EDI Primer Now Available
More Information Available Via Automated Voice
Response Unit
A Quick Tip to Prevent Payment Delays: Check
Patient Addresses
Student Verification Time
Delta Dental Elects New Chairman,
Board Members
Gerald A. Sydell, D.D.S., was recently elected Chairman
of the Board of Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey,
Inc. Dr. Carl Chaityn, our previous Chairman, will
remain an active member on the Delta Dental Board
of Trustees. The Board also elected Ronald Deblinger,
D.M.D., Vice Chairman of the Board, and George McLaughlin,
D.M.D., Trustee.
Dr. Sydell, of Watchung, NJ, served as vice chairman
of Delta Dental's Board of Trustees in 1998 and has
been a board member since 1980. Currently, he serves
on our Executive Committee and Nominating Committee.
Dr. Sydell also serves as Vice Chairman of the Delta
Dental Endowment Association of New Jersey, Inc.
He has practiced dentistry in Cranford, NJ, for more
than 40 years.
Dr. Sydell received his doctorate in dental surgery
from Temple University and advanced education in
orthodontics from New York University. He is past
president of the Union County Dental Society, and
served as a trustee of the New Jersey Dental Association
and delegate to the American Dental Association.
In addition, Dr. Sydell is a member of the New Jersey
Medicaid Drug Utilization Review Board. He received
the Union County Dental Society's President's Award
and the New Jersey Dental Association's Service Award.
He has been elected to Fellowship in the American
College of Dentists and the International College
of Dentists.
Dr. Deblinger, of Montvale, NJ, has been a member
of Delta Dental's Board of Trustees since 1988. Currently,
he serves on our Contracts and Fees Committee, Dental
Advisory and Policy Committee, and Audit Committee.
He has been in private practice for 22 years in Clifton,
NJ, and specializes in endodontics. After graduating
from Alfred University with a bachelor's degree,
Dr. Deblinger received his dental education at the
University of Pennsylvania, where he also received
his specialty degree in endodontics. He is past president
of the Passaic County Dental Society; alternate trustee
for the New Jersey Dental Association; alternate
delegate for the American Dental Association; past
president of the New Jersey Association of Endodontics;
treasurer of the Research and Education Foundation
of the American Association of Endodontics; fellow
of the American College of Dentists; and fellow of
the International College of Dentists. He is past
member of the Board of Directors of the American
Association of Endodontics.
Active in his community as well, Dr. Deblinger served
as president of the Montvale Athletic League, and
has been involved in various other community activities.
Dr. McLaughlin, of New Brunswick, NJ, who has just
been named to Delta Dental's Dental Advisory and
Policy Committee, maintains a practice in general
dentistry in New Brunswick. He serves as Clinical
Associate Professor in the Department of General
Dentistry and Community Health, University of Medicine
and Dentistry of New Jersey. A graduate of the University
of Medicine and Dentistry-New Jersey Dental School,
Dr. McLaughlin is president of the New Jersey Dental
School Academic Assembly, where he is responsible
for the day-to-day operations of the Office of Minority
Affairs. He is the current dental school representative
to the Affirmative Action Council, which reports
directly to the UMDNJ Board of Trustees. He is past
president of two statewide dental organizations:
Commonwealth Dental Society of New Jersey, and the
New Jersey Academy of General Dentistry. In addition,
he currently chairs the New Jersey Dental Association
Council on Dental Education, the New Jersey Academy
of General Dentistry Committee on Constitution and
Bylaws and, in his community, serves on the Constitution
and Bylaws Committee and Board of Trustees of the
First Baptist Church of Lincoln Gardens in Somerset,
NJ.
Same-Day Dentist Referrals Now
Available
Delta Dental recently installed new software that
enables Customer Service agents to provide callers
with immediate information about dentists in their
area.
While callers are still on the phone, Customer Service
agents can instantly access a database that allows
them to identify participating dentists based on
zip codes, and provide information such as the dentists'
addresses, phone numbers and areas of specialty.
(This functionality also exists on our web site at
www.deltadentalnj.com.) Agents will soon be able
to fax the information from his or her desktop to
the caller's fax machine.
Watch for news about additional enhancements to
our dental referral system, which we hope to announce
shortly.
While callers are still on the phone, Customer
Service agents can instantly access a database that
allows them to identify participating dentists based
on zip codes, and provide information such as the
dentists' addresses, phone numbers and areas of specialty.
VanBrunt Elected Chairman of
DeltaUSA Board of Directors
Walter VanBrunt, president and CEO of Delta Dental
Plan of New Jersey, Inc., was recently elected Chairman
of the Board of Directors of DeltaUSA. He will serve
a two-year term from June 1, 1999 to August 31, 2001.
Mr. VanBrunt joined Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey
in 1993 as executive vice president and president
of Delta Dental's subsidiary, Flagship Health Systems.
He became president and CEO in January 1998. His
28 years in the insurance industry includes service
as second vice president of Lincoln National Insurance
Company, where he directed the company's Eastern
Region Group Operations Center.
A graduate of Virginia Tech with a bachelor of science
degree in business administration and management,
Mr. VanBrunt serves on the Board of Directors for
Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) and DeltaUSA.
He also serves on the Board of the Delta Dental Endowment
Association of New Jersey.
DeltaUSA is the national accounts business development
subsidiary of the Delta Dental Plans Association.
Millennium Countdown-Are All
Your Systems Go?
With the year 2000 only a few months away, anyone
who uses a computer-or relies on vendors who do-should
quickly act to prevent the Y2K bug from disrupting
your practice. To make sure your office is ready,
take time now verify the Y2K compliance of:
- Software, especially practice-management software.
- Computers and office equipment.
- Vendors; can they ensure you that they will provide
uninterrupted service after the new year?
- Any firm you communicate with online, including
your bank and payroll service.
Thinking About EDI? Here's Why
You Should Give It A Try!
When Paula Vallone, office manager at Hillsborough
Dental in Somerset County, NJ, began submitting 100
to 200 claims per week electronically, the office
shaved six weeks from the bill-payment turn-around
time, cut administrative costs by at least 50 percent,
and boosted efficiency by shifting focus from paperwork
to patient care.
No wonder the use of electronic data interchange
(EDI) claims processing is on the rise nationwide-and
especially in New Jersey, where Delta Dental was
the first dental benefit provider in the state to
dedicate resources and personnel solely to promoting
electronic claims. In 1997, Delta Dental accepted
more than 360,000 claims electronically, or more
than 23 percent of its total submissions. In contrast,
only 13 percent of the total claims generated nationally
in 1997 were electronic claims, according to Falkner & Gray's
Health Data Directory. Delta Dental attributes its
success, in part, to dentists' satisfaction with
electronic claims submission.
Betty Hill, Delta Dental's EDI administrator, frequently
meets with dentists and their staffs--at their convenience,
in their offices, free of charge-to show them how
to make the most of EDI's capabilities. For offices
considering new computers or dental practice management
software, she offers purchasing tips, suggestions
on evaluating vendors, and techniques for assessing
the satisfaction of current users. For dentists who
currently use computers to print and mail paper claims,
Hill can show them how to use certain features to
expedite their Delta Dental claims.
Electronic claims submission (ECS) is simply a means
of
"sending" claim information through a modem to an
electronic claims clearinghouse. The clearinghouse
collects the data, screens it for proper format and
missing information and, in Delta Dental's case,
delivers it to an electronic "mailbox" for daily
pick up by Delta Dental's computer system. (A claim
error, such as a missing Social Security number,
is transmitted back to the dentist by the clearinghouse.)
Then, the Delta Dental computer generates an acknowledgment
to the clearinghouse, which prepares a status report
for the dentist. The entire process takes between
24 and 48 hours.
ECS offers another benefit: the ability for dentists
to retrieve valuable patient information. "New Jersey
state law requires that all electronic claims information
be backed up quarterly, and stored onsite for safe-keeping," Hill
explains. "For many doctors, this back-up system
has become a great disaster-recovery tool in case
of an office fire or other catastrophe."
When receiving claims, Delta Dental receives many
x-rays that are unnecessary. With ECS, the electronic
report will tell the office when x-rays or other
diagnostics are required. In cases where x-rays are
requested, practitioners can send them to Delta Dental's
special ECS post office box for speedy claims processing.
"Usually, we get our claims paid in seven to 10
business days, which really improves our cash flow," adds
Hillsborough Dental's Paula Vallone, whose office
regularly submits electronic claims. "And, because
we aren't chasing down claims, we can service our
patients more efficiently. In addition, we now pay
approximately $.45 per electronic claim," Vallone
says. "With paper claims, by the time you pay for
the envelope, postage, paper and time it took to
put it all together, you've spent at least twice
that amount. Changing over to DeltaLink is
the best thing we ever did."
For more information about how EDI can benefit your
practice, contact Betty Hill at (973) 285-4035.
EDI Primer Now Available
The National Dental EDI Council (NDEDIC) has published
a revised edition of its "EDI Primer for the Dental
Office,"
a complete introduction to electronic data interchange
(EDI) developed specifically for dentists. The Primer
is written in straightforward, non-technical language.
It includes:
- An introduction to computerizing your office
- Explanations on how EDI works
- Case studies of dental offices that made the
change
- Answers to frequently asked questions
- Guidelines for purchasing hardware and software
- Resources available to help you make the transition
Dr. Barry Freydberg, a full-time general dentist
and one of the foremost lecturers on automation in
dentistry, said this about the Primer: "I would recommend
the EDI Primer for every dental office before they
become involved with electronic claims. The Primer
provides the answers to the questions you just don't
know to ask as well as a look into our immediate
future."
NDEDIC is an organization dedicated to promoting
the use of electronic commerce in the dental-benefits
industry.
The Primer costs $18.95 for NDEDIC members and $24.95
for non-members, plus $4.50 shipping and handling.
To order, contact NDEDIC at (602) 266-7740, or visit
its website at http://www.ndedic.org/.
Disclaimer: The views of NDEDIC are not necessarily
the views of Delta Dental of New Jersey.
More Information Available Via
Automated Voice Response Unit
The newest improvements to Delta Dental's Voice
Response Unit (VRU) are ready and waiting for your
call.
The VRU provides subscribers, benefits managers
and dentists with automated answers to frequently
asked questions 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Now, the VRU enables callers to find out more than
ever before about their claim's status. With the
new enhancement, callers can find out when Delta
Dental received the claim, where it stands in the
payment process and when the check should be mailed.
In many cases callers can also learn why a payment
is delayed, and find out where to send the necessary
information to continue processing the claim.
The VRU also provides automated answers to questions
about subscriber benefits, eligibility, deductibles,
group number, plan maximums, deductibles and provider
lists.
To access the VRU, call Delta Dental Customer Service
at either (800) 452-9310, or the phone number designated
for your company.
There are times when you absolutely must speak
to a live representative. Delta Dental's Customer
Service agents are on the job Monday through Friday
from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. To connect with one, simply
dial our Customer Service number at (800) 452-9310.
When the recording begins, hit * on your touch-tone
phone. (You don't need to wait for the list of options
to finish.) You will be connected with the next available
Customer Service agent.
A Quick Tip to Prevent Payment
Delays: Check Patient Addresses
Nearly 300 claims that we attempt to process each
day bear incorrect subscriber addresses. This results
in payment delays to dentists and patients, and creates
additional processing costs for Delta Dental.
Please help us keep our records up to date by verifying
patients' addresses each time they come in for a
dental appointment. Remind them that any address
change should also be sent to Delta Dental so we
can update our records accordingly.
It's a quick, easy way to make sure payments arrive
in a timely manner.
Student Verification Time
Many employer plans require college-age dependents
to verify with Delta Dental their status as full-time
students when they file their first claim of the
new school year. Examples of student documentation
include:
- A copy of a paid tuition statement;
- A registrar's certificate of grades showing at
least 12 credits; or
- A current validated student ID card.
All documents should reflect the school year that
corresponds with dates of treatment provided by your
dentist.
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