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Articles
Delta Dental's 2002 Claims and Customer
Service Performance
Subscriber Satisfaction Levels Remain High,
Says Survey
Caucus New Jersey Videotape on Oral Health Available
Visit Delta Dental at Atlantic City Conventions
"View Log" Feature Creates Paper Trail
for Eligibility Submissions
How to Request Benefits Connection Info for
Employees
AADC Honors Dr. Navarro
Labor Day Holiday
VanBrunt Re-elected DDPA Chairman
Results of Delta Dental Classic Available Next Issue
Thanks to All Who Contributed to Breast Cancer Walk
Delta Dental's 2002 Claims
and Customer Service Performance
Delta Dental's high service levels continued to
improve in 2002. Here's a glimpse at some of our
2002 performance statistics:
- We processed significantly more claims while
maintaining our speed of payment. Delta Dental
processed nearly 2.8 million claims in 2002, an
11.8% increase over 2001. Our claim cycle time
averages 8.91 business days. If you submitted electronic
claims, which accounted for 41% of all claims last
year, the cycle time was even faster: 6.95 business
days.
- We answered more calls faster. Customer Service
received nearly 924,000 calls, with nearly 660,000
of them handled by Customer Service agents. (The
remaining calls were handled by our automated voice
response system.) Our Customer Service agents handle
an average of more than 86 calls a day.
- 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
98.8% accuracy or higher. Our accuracy rate has
been 98% or higher on all measures since 1995.
- Our dental network continues to grow. In New
Jersey, at year-end 2002, we had 5,988 access points
(total dentists/dental offices) participating in
DeltaPremier, 3,565 access points participating
in Delta's Advantage Program; 2,872 access points
in DeltaPreferred Option; and 1,315 access points
participating in DeltaCare. In Connecticut, we
had 2,310 access points participating in DeltaPremier,
and 982 access points participating in DeltaPreferred
Option.
Subscriber Satisfaction Levels
Remain High, Says Survey
Delta Dental's annual survey of members indicates
that the large majority of our subscribers continue
to be satisfied or very satisfied with their Delta
Dental benefits. The 2002 Member Satisfaction Survey
was conducted by Brownstone Information Resources,
a survey research firm located in Morristown, NJ.
Brownstone distributed the survey to 6,500 randomly
selected members who had filed a claim with Delta
Dental Plan of New Jersey within the previous 12
months. From this pool, 1,585 members, or 24%, responded
by the cut-off date of January 30, 2003.
Among the survey findings:
- More than 8 in 10 members are "satisfied" to "very
satisfied" with Delta Dental overall.
- More than 8 in 10 members are "satisfied" to "very
satisfied" with our Customer Service Department.
- More than 8 in 10 are "satisfied" to "very satisfied" with
the accuracy, timeliness and overall performance
of our claims processing.
- More than 9 in 10 are "satisfied" to "very satisfied" with
their dentist on all quality measures, including
quality of care and access to dental care. Nine
in 10 would use their dentist again and recommend
their dentist to a friend.
Caucus New Jersey Videotape
on Oral Health Available
Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation recently
sponsored a two-part program called "Oral Health:
The Quiet Crisis" presented on Caucus New Jersey
with Steve Adubato. The program included a discussion
of the link between oral health and one's overall
health, as well as the issue of access to dental
care.
If you would like to receive a videotape of the
program, please e-mail your request to smile@deltadentalnj.com.
Visit Delta Dental at Atlantic
City Conventions
Delta Dental will be participating in the following
upcoming conventions:
New Jersey School Board Association
October 22-24, 2003
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, New Jersey
New Jersey League of Municipalities
November 17-20, 2003
Atlantic City Convention Center
Atlantic City, New Jersey
Be sure to stop by our booth!
"View Log" Feature
Creates Paper Trail for Eligibility Submissions
You probably already know that making eligibility
changes online is easier than faxing, and that changes
take effect in 24 hours or less. But did you also
know that you can create a paper trail of the eligibility
changes you submit online?
The "View Log" feature enables you to view and print
out all the changes you make in an online session
to verify accuracy. The submission log not only lists
the subscriber's name and date of each change, but
also identifies which fields were changed, for easier
verification. Our online eligibility submission system
is password-protected and safeguarded against unauthorized
access.
To get started using Delta Dental's online eligibility
submission system, contact Premium Billing at (973)
285-4144 anytime Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.
to 4:30 p.m. to request your password. Then, go to
www.deltadentalnj.com, click "Employers," and sign
into the Administrator's Logon area. You're ready
to go!
How to Request Benefits Connection
Info For Employees
Do your employees know that the fastest, easiest
way for them to obtain information about their dental
benefits is by using Delta Dental's online Benefits
Connection? To help benefits managers get the word
out to employees, Delta Dental developed a Benefits
Connection communication package. The package features
articles, a how-to guide, and more. To request the
package, please send an e-mail to dbelle@deltadentalnj.com.
Information will be sent to you via e-mail.
AADC Honors Dr. Navarro
Dr. Scott Navarro, Vice President of Professional
Services and Dental Director for Delta Dental, recently
received the Dr. Israel (Sonnie) Shulman Award for
Meritorious Service from the American Association
of Dental Consultants (AADC). The AADC is comprised
almost entirely of dentists who serve as consultants
to dental insurance carriers. The primary purpose
of the organization is to educate and inform its
nearly 400 national and international members.
The award, which has only been granted three times
in the past, recognizes AADC members for outstanding
contributions to the organization, and for exhibiting
behavior of being a mentor and guiding light. Recipients
are nominated, with the AADC board of directors making
the final decision.
"Dr. Navarro, as past president of AADC, as chair
and developer of the Certification Program, for his
insight and authorship of position papers, and for
being the dental consultant's consultant, certainly
qualifies for this award," says AADC President Dr.
Ed Schooley, dental director of Delta Dental Plan
of Iowa.
"Dr. Navarro is one of a kind," Dr. Schooley adds. "Having
worked with him on a number of projects and teams,
he seems to have inexhaustible energy and commitment
to doing a best-in-class job in anything he touches.
Dr. Navarro has often independently championed efforts
within AADC and is responsible for where it is today.
He has left his mark! I am pleased that he has been
recognized in this manner."
Dr. Navarro recently celebrated his sixth anniversary
at Delta Dental. His primary responsibilities include
dentist network development and contracting, professional
claims review, dental policy, and professional relations.
He also serves as a member of the Delta Dental Plans
Association Dental Policy Committee.
Labor Day Holiday
Delta Dental will be closed on Monday, September
1, for Labor Day. Our Customer Service Department
will reopen on Tuesday, September 2 at 8 a.m. (Delta
Dental's online eligibility submission system will
be available at 7 a.m.)
Benefits Connection and our automated voice response
telephone system are available 24 hours a day, seven
days a week.
VanBrunt Re-elected DDPA Chairman
Walter VanBrunt, president and CEO of Delta Dental
Plan of New Jersey, was re-elected chairman of the
board of directors of the Delta Dental Plans Association
(DDPA) during the organization's annual meeting in
June.
The Delta Dental Plan system is a national network
of independently operated, not-for-profit dental
service corporations specializing in providing dental
benefits for employee groups throughout the country.
VanBrunt joined Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey
as senior vice president in January 1993. He became
executive vice president in November 1993, and president
of Flagship Dental Plans. He became president and
CEO of Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey in January
1998. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for
the Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation. He
is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the
UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School.
Results of Delta Dental Classic
Available Next Issue
As this issue went to press, proceeds were being
calculated for the Thirteenth Annual Delta Dental
Classic, which was rescheduled to July 23. The Golf
Classic raises funds for Special Olympics New Jersey
(SONJ), a non-profit organization that provides athletic
training and competition for children and adults
with mental retardation. Results of the event will
be published in the next issue of Dental News.
Anyone who is interested in contributing to the
Delta Dental Classic should contact Jennifer Appaluccio
at jappaluccio@deltadentalnj.com. Donations are being
accepted even after the July 23 event.
Thanks to All Who Contributed
to Breast Cancer Walk
The Delta Dental Plans Association (DDPA) walk against
breast cancer, held June 21 in Santa Ana Pueblo,
NM, raised $75,000 to date (monies are still coming
in) to help fight the disease. Walkers from Delta
Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc. (DDPNJ) collected
more than $18,000 from sponsors, which was the highest
of all the Delta Dental Plans participating. All
proceeds from the event were donated to the National
Breast Cancer Coalition Fund, a grassroots advocacy
group interested in raising funds for research and
improving access to care, including breast cancer
clinical trials.
Many families and friends of the Delta Dental system
have suffered with breast cancer, and the event's
organizers said they had been looking for something
the organization could do to help fight the disease
that has touched so many.
This was the first time Delta Dental participated
in this particular charitable event, which coincided
with the DDPA's annual meeting. Gay VanBrunt, whose
husband, Walt, is president of DDPNJ, chaired the
event.
For more information about the National Breast Cancer
Coalition Fund, visit its Web site at http://www.natlbcc.org.
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