DELTA DENTAL REPORTS MORE DENTAL CLAIMS BEING PROCESSED ELECTRONICALLY AND WITH MORE EFFICIENCY

PARSIPPANY, NJ (March 21, 2001) — More dental claims are being processed electronically and, as a result, processed faster and more accurately, according to statistics recently released by Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey (Delta Dental). The results were published in Delta Dental’s 2000 Performance Summary and state that 32% of all claims were processed electronically last year, with nearly all of them processed accurately and within 15 calendar days.

The percentage of electronic claims has increased dramatically since Delta Dental began accepting claims electronically in 1992. By 1995, electronic claims represented 13% of all submissions. This growth mirrors an overall trend in the health care and insurance industries to computerize patient information. "In an increasingly technological environment, Delta Dental is committed to maintaining an edge in the way claims are received and processed to ensure we’re providing service to our customers efficiently and accurately," said Bruce Silverman, senior vice president, Claims.

The Performance Survey also indicated a significant difference in how long it took to process claims depending on how they were submitted. In 2000, 80.84% of claims mailed or faxed were processed in less than 15 calendar days. Of those submitted electronically, 98.84% were processed in less than 15 calendar days. Of all claims submitted in 2000, 98.5% were paid accurately.

Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey's leading and largest dental benefits carrier, providing coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental Plan system is a national network of independently operated, not-for-profit dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs for employee groups throughout the country.