3 big benefits to automated patient billing for your oral surgery practice

Your oral surgery practice has unique challenges that can be solved with automated patient billing. The benefits of using this technology include higher revenue, a more focused and productive dental team, and higher patient satisfaction. Everyone wins when you automate routine processes for a streamlined dental business.

Oral surgery practices are closely associated with dental practices, but they have a few key differences when it comes to their billing workflows.

Off the bat, oral surgery treatment is more intense, and therefore it’s typically much pricier than a regular dental cleaning. Because of the higher treatment costs, and also managing both dental and medical insurance claims, OMS (​​​​oral and maxillofacial surgery) teams often have trouble billing efficiently and collecting from their patients. 

We spoke to our OMS Business Unit Manager here at DCS, Angela Moorman-Rakestraw, for her insights on how to optimize the billing process at oral surgery practices, and how OMS practices will best benefit from automated patient billing. 

Thanks to Angela’s connections with our OMS client-partners, we can share 3 big business benefits that OMS teams see when they use patient billing solutions, along with some of Angela’s thoughts on why automated patient billing is great for the OMS teams, themselves.

4 key takeaways on OMS practice success with patient billing solutions: 

1. Automated patient billing makes it easy for patients to pay right away
2. Because the cost of treatment is higher for oral surgery, an in-depth consultation with patients is even more important than it is for general dentistry
3. Automation allows your OMS administrative team more time to dedicate to patients, overall, so everyone wins
4. When you use DCS Patient Billing, you can continue mailing paper statements to your older patients

Benefit #1. Increased cash flow from faster patient collections

Here’s the challenge: Many OMS practices struggle with collecting payment due to the complexity of managing both medical and dental insurance claims — and also because there are much larger out-of-pocket costs for the patient.

This isn’t as simple as coming in for a cleaning; your patients are receiving complex procedures that require more than local anesthesia. This is when medical insurance comes into play, and this is when coordinating benefits on an insurance claim becomes complicated.

Angela Moorman-Rakestraw, the OMS Business Unit Manager here at DCS, explains: 

“With oral surgery practices, it's a bit more difficult to determine on the front end what the patient’s estimated out-of-pocket expense will be — especially on some of the more invasive surgeries. 

Because of this, here’s what we tend to see: If an office is in-network with several medical plans and dental plans, they don't always collect what they should on the front end. And it’s because dental teams just don't know how to calculate those out-of-pocket estimates for their patients. So, they let insurance pay, and then they start billing the patient for whatever balance is left over.”

Here’s how automated patient billing meets that challenge:

It provides a faster, more efficient process for collecting balances from patients after both medical and dental insurance claims are processed. The DCS Patient Billing solution, specifically, will automatically send digital outreach via text or email immediately after the patient’s balance is known, and also send payment reminders at regular intervals if needed.

The DCS Patient Billing solution also handles the write-back to your PMS automatically — and it’s the only solution that does. This makes the process entirely hands-free for your team once the patient’s balance is known.

This automation also allows patients to pay online instantly using their card or digital wallet from any digital device, which speeds up your collections, ultimately improving your cash flow.

Benefit #2. A better business, thanks to a more focused admin team

Here’s the challenge: At OMS practices, the front desk staff and office managers often struggle to handle billing manually and consistently, especially when wrestling with insurance verification for both medical and dental. These verification difficulties lead to data errors, which in turn lead to claim denials and delayed or interrupted cash flow.

And while your team is dealing with all of this high-stakes, detail-oriented work, it’s difficult for them to give due time and attention to in-office patients. 

Related: Instant insights: The easy way to check your patient billing revenue

I asked Angela why insurance verification is challenging for OMS teams. She offered:

“We're seeing that they don't have staff in place to verify insurance benefits before the services, to see if the patient even has active benefits before the procedure takes place. So they're basically going on a whim, trying to figure out if the patient's going to owe them money or not.”

We’ve heard this about dental teams, too. Making time to verify insurance a day or two before the patient’s procedure is easier said than done when you have a dozen other time-sensitive tasks on your plate.

And when there’s confusion between you and the patient about what their medical and dental insurance will cover, the patient experience becomes awkward and feels disorganized. And as you already know, this isn’t a great look for your dental business. 

Here’s how automated patient billing meets that challenge:

It takes a huge, continuous administrative load off your team. When you automate patient billing, you make time for your team to do verifications and treatment presentations, ensuring a smoother billing process for your patient later on. 

DCS Patient Billing’s automation handles the process from claims to billing, including payment reminders, and direct deposits — and uniquely, write-backs. Your staff will no longer need to worry about the daily tasks of sending paper statements, processing checks, handling follow-ups, or even updating the PMS — our patient billing solution will already be synced with it.

Imagine patients who understand their bill because your team already verified their insurance and presented an out-of-pocket estimate. These high-touch interactions combined with easy and convenient payment options contribute greatly to a successful oral surgery business with steady revenue and contented team members. 

Benefit #3. Happier patients! They’ll love the convenience and ease

Here’s the challenge: The slow pace of traditional manual billing methods can frustrate patients, or a mailed statement may miss them altogether. What if their bill never arrives in their mailbox, is left forgotten on their desk, or they mistake it for junk mail and throw it away?

These common mishaps lead to delays in payment for you, and an aggravating experience for them.

In the age of Amazon’s 2-day shipping and grocery delivery, people are all about speed, ease, and convenience. An OMS business that stays up to date on technology and operates efficiently oftentimes feels more trustworthy to patients. If your payment system is outdated, some patients will simply find a new provider — it seems a harsh response, but it happens! 

Read more: How to have a patient-centric dental business: 3 tips (Free guide)

Here’s how automated patient billing meets that challenge:

Automated systems offer your patients every convenience. They’ll receive reminders via text or email with a direct link to their payment portal. Then they can use their phone, tablet, or laptop to pay with their credit card, debit card, or even a digital wallet like Apple Pay or Google Pay.

Just a few simple clicks, and they’ve squared away their bill — and you’ve collected what you’re owed. 

Angela, like all of our Business Unit Managers, loves how easy it is for patients to use the DCS Patient Billing solution: 

“It's more convenient for the patient to receive a text message or an email that just says, ‘Hey, you have a balance. Click here to pay.’ They just go in and pay it, instead of having to wait three or four days for the statement to come in the mail.”

But of course, that doesn’t mean your OMS business has to do away with mailed statements altogether, if specific patients prefer them. 

“At DCS Patient Billing, there is an option for practices to choose paper statements in addition to our automated solution. We do have some OMS teams who have chosen that option because they see a larger scale of elderly patients, and sometimes they still like to have paper invoices come in the mail.”

It’s always smart to understand your patients’ needs and honor what works best for them. For example, if you have a patient who can’t afford to pay their bill in its entirety, our patient billing solution provides payment plans for those who require it. You can work with your patient to determine how much they’re able to cover each month. 

This will prove to patients that you have their back (especially with higher cost surgeries), you’ll get paid sooner, and you can both be assured that their bill will be paid in full, eventually.

Get DCS Automated Patient Billing Solution today

Unleash your oral surgery practice’s growth with automated patient billing

To recap, here are 3 big business benefits to automating the patient billing system at your oral surgery practice: 

• Benefit #1. Increased cash flow from faster patient collections
• Benefit #2. A better business, thanks to a more focused admin team
• Benefit #3. Happier patients! They’ll love the convenience and ease

Here’s another consideration: OMS businesses are often looking to expand to multiple locations because of how lucrative they are, but multiplying the administrative headaches is a valid concern.

But now you can maximize your cash flow without maxing out your team. Automating your patient billing process with DCS Patient Billing puts it entirely on autopilot, and it will scale effortlessly as production increases. Meanwhile, your team is freed up to focus on patient care and practice growth. 

Your patients, your team, and your bank account will all love DCS Patient Billing solutions, just like this delighted customer: 

“We wanted to lessen the front-office workload and allow us all to focus on patient care. With DCS Patient Billing, we’ve had much fewer headaches. This service is so much easier for patients and staff. We’ve never gotten this many patient payments. The dashboard is really convenient to use and helps keep great records.” – Sarah, the Office Coordinator at Franklin Pediatric Dentistry

Elevate your oral surgery practice and collect all that you’re owed: Book a free 30-minute consultation today.