Something that has come up a lot in general conversations, especially since the pandemic, is work-life balance. People who used to commute to work every day are getting hours back in their day that used to be spent in the car. Dental offices don’t necessarily work this way though... teeth can’t be tended to virtually! Not to mention, someone needs to be running the actual office. The workload doesn’t seem to ever lighten.
Because a healthy work-life balance is so important, you may be exploring outsourcing your dental billing so that your office manager doesn’t burn out and keeps working as a steady, productive member of your practice. At Dental ClaimSupport, we’ve spent years perfecting the insurance-side of billing, and we’ve seen so many office professionals enjoy the feeling of relief.
In this article, we will explore why outsourcing a portion of your billing can create a healthier work-life balance for your employees, specifically those currently handling your entire billing process.
What can outsourcing a dental billing company do to relieve my dental team?
Ask anyone who is in charge of billing at a dental practice. The most frustrating, stressful part of billing is the insurance side of it. It can get complicated and requires a lot of follow-up. It’s also time consuming. Not to mention, a delay in your payment from insurance is a big chunk of your revenue that your dental practice is missing.
Outsourcing the insurance side of your dental billing can give your in-house dental team a chance to give more of their attention to important more pressing matters within the office. Every dental billing company is different. Dental ClaimSupport, for example takes over the following tasks:
1. Claim submission - We will send claims through your clearinghouse daily (next business day after batching).
2. Working the insurance aging report - We will work the outstanding aging report, working the oldest claims first to be sure no claim is denied for untimely filing
3. Posting insurance payments - We will post insurance payments that are scanned to us the previous day
Take a deep dive on how Dental ClaimSupport collaborates with dental offices in our Learning Center!
Lifting this workload from your team can help them put a more focused effort on the things actually happening in the office. Dealing with getting paid by insurance is a behind-the-scenes task that doesn’t always feel pressing, because it’s not right in front of you the way a patient is, or scheduling, or a ringing phone.
What outsourcing enables your dental office to focus on instead
Once the task of communicating with insurance is no longer a burden to your dental team, they will have much more time in their day to make sure your practice is a positive, productive place for you and your patients.
Without dealing with insurance, your dental team will now be able to focus on the following tasks:
- Answering phones - It’s an office! People are going to be calling pretty often whether it’s for a delivery, maintenance, or a patient. You need to be able to quickly answer and not be distracted by anything while on the phone.
- Scheduling patients - A good office manager has a full schedule (if they have the time to focus on getting it filled, hence outsourcing your billing!). This means they have the time to schedule follow-up appointments or reach out to patients that haven’t been treated in a year.
- Checking in patients - A task that is literally starting right at you: Getting patients checked in and taking their information! This is possibly the most important. A distracted, busy or stressed team member interacting with a patient may give off a bad impression.
They could think the practice is disorganized if your team member seems pressed. It’s also important that they take down ACCURATE information when it comes to patients. Inaccuracies can lead to even more delays in payments, so they need to be focused. You want them to come back, right?
It takes a lot to run an office, and spending your day on the phone with insurance can be a huge time-suck! That’s why it helps to have someone who’s sole responsibility is dealing with insurance, and your team doesn’t even have to think about it.
Relieving your team of insurance strain can promote a healthier workplace
We’re not writing this article to encourage your dental team to stop working, but a stressed out, overworked group of people altogether can create a toxic work environment. People can begin resenting their jobs which can lead to high turnover that makes running a practice that much harder.
Give your team a chance to do their best for you. Work-life balance is crucial to a positive workplace. It’s not only your job to satisfy your patients, but also to create a healthy space for your team to do their work. A support system for the task of dealing with insurance can give them some breathing room to enjoy their jobs with more positive energy.
They can take real lunch breaks, take their time checking patients in and making sure the patient is taken care of, communicate effectively over the phone and keep track of all of the moving parts of your dental office.
Ready to take the first step towards outsourcing your dental billing?
Whether you outsource with Dental ClaimSupport or not, it’s important to explore this option for the sake of everyone in your practice. While we’re sure your front desk team does a wonderful job already, running a dental office is no easy task.
Relieving them of the insurance side of dental billing can make your team healthier and happier, resulting in claims always being paid on time and a lower aging report, and more time for patients.
This will obviously help you bring in more money, but more importantly create a wonderful place for people to work and visit for dental work. Learn more about why outsourcing one part of your dental office at a time is the best option in our Learning Center.
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