|
Last year Delta Dental processed more than 62 million dental claims, an average of nearly 240,000 every business day. For each claim that arrived by mail, a network dentist spent as much as $6 to have it prepared and posted. No doubt, some of the claims had to be returned for additional information, leading to additional expense and delay.
By contrast, the cost per claim sent electronically was closer to $0.50 or $0.75.
Such figures likely mean something to your clients, who understandably want to see most of their premium dollars applied toward care for employees instead of labor-intensive administration. Administrative costs in most dental plans are already fairly low, but electronic claims submission is seen as an important tool for keeping dental inflation in check and premiums affordable.
More and more dental offices use electronic claims submission each year. Nearly half of all claims submitted in 2004 to Delta Dental of New Jersey were sent electronically. That number is expected to grow as more dental offices upgrade their administrative technology systems and learn about the expense-management advantages of electronic interfaces.
Those advantages are often highlighted in Delta Dental's marketing and dentist-relations initiatives. For instance, Delta Dental often promotes the advantages of filing electronically, which include:
-
Reducing postage costs
-
Reducing inventories of forms and stationery
-
Saving time on paperwork, claims tracking and telephone calls, which office staff can instead dedicate to patient care
-
Flagging problems that typically postpone approvals
-
Resolving problems or questions faster
-
Receiving payments more quickly
Estimates from within the Delta Dental system predict that a dentist who files 40 claims per week could reduce annual expenses by more than $11,000, just by switching to electronic claims submission. Another estimate notes that electronic claims can be processed in half the time it takes to process paper claims and that many electronic claims are processed within 48 hours of receipt. Reduced turnaround time for payments can help a dental office improve its cash flow.
As dental offices move toward standardized administration, more are expected to adopt systems and processes that are known to drive dental office efficiency. This in turn is likely to help dentists maintain service standards and contain costs, meaning your clients can continue to expect high quality dental care at reasonable prices.
|
