DELTA DENTAL LAUNCHES ONLINE CLAIMS SUBMISSION

PARSIPPANY, NJ (January 15, 2003) – Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey (Delta Dental) recently added a new feature to its Web site that allows both participating and non-participating dentists to submit claims directly to Delta Dental online at www.deltadentalnj.com. Online claims submission, which is available through a secure area of the company's site, offers several advantages including ease of use, time savings, significant cost savings and faster payment.

The National Dental EDI Council estimates that a typical dental office that treats 35 patients a day saves more than $2,000 a year using EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) instead of paper claims. While those savings are significant, dental offices can save even more by submitting claims directly to Delta Dental. Routing claims through a clearinghouse network can cost an average of 50 cents per claim to process. Online claims submission to Delta Dental costs nothing. So, for a dental office that sends Delta Dental eight claims a day, online claims submission would save an additional $1,000 - for a total of $3,000 savings a year - over paper claims.

"As New Jersey's and Connecticut's leading dental benefits carrier, we strive to offer services of the highest quality and value to those we do business with," said Walter VanBrunt, President and CEO. "Delta Dental's new Web option provides dental professionals with a convenient method of corresponding with us, in a way that will also improve their bottom line the very first time they use it."

In addition to saving money, it is estimated that claims are processed about 50% faster when they are submitted online. Submitting a claim to Delta Dental online is also easier than filling out a paper claim because there is no need for postage or addressing envelopes. Online prompts are available to guide users throughout the entire easy-to-use process. Improved accuracy is another added benefit, because the system notifies users immediately if information is missing or if certain information is incorrect.

Future plans include accepting Coordination of Benefits (COB) claims online.

Any practicing dentist in the United States can use the online claims submission feature to submit claims to Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey for patients with coverage. To submit a claim, dental professionals with Internet access can visit www.deltadentalnj.com, click on "Dentists" on the right side of the page, and then log on to "Benefits Connection." Those who are not already registered with Benefits Connection must do so at this point for further access. From there, users select "Claims Submission" and follow the step-by-step instructions on the screen.

About Benefits Connection
Participating dental professionals who have not yet tried online benefits administration are encouraged to visit www.deltadentalnj.com and register with "Benefits Connection." Benefits Connection is an extremely user-friendly area of the site that makes it possible for subscribers and their dentists to obtain instant, detailed information about their dental benefits, including the services covered, the percentage of service covered by Delta Dental, whether there are deductibles or waiting periods, and much more. For security reasons, there is a 10-day delay for claims inquiry before registration takes place. Once approved, registered users can access the secure, password-protected area of Delta Dental's Web site.

According to one dental office administrator surveyed, "Our practice started using Benefits Connection six months ago for the convenience, and it's why we continue to use it." Initial feedback to the online claims submission feature indicates that professionals are equally enthusiastic about the benefits of Delta Dental's most recent Web enhancement.

Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey’s and Connecticut's leading 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. For more information visit us on the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.