Articles
Dental Offices Cite Ease of Use, Quality
of Information, Patient Satisfaction as Reasons to
Use Benefits Connection
Web Tips and Tricks
CDT-4 Code Reminder
Delta Dental Receives 'AA-' Rating from Standard & Poor's
Office Managers Advisory Council Meets
Golf Outing Raises $55,000 for Special Olympics
Mark that Date!
Important Claim Reminders
Public Service Posters Available for Downloading
Do You Know the Answer to Our Claims Quiz?
Are You Covered by HIPAA?
Smoking Cessation Help Available
Dental Offices Cite Ease of Use,
Quality of Information, Patient Satisfaction as
Reasons to Use Benefits Connection
Administrative tasks are a necessary but often time-consuming
aspect of managing a successful dental practice.
Delta Dental's online Benefits Connection is designed
to simplify many activities related to verifying
patient benefits and filing claims. With Benefits
Connection, office personnel spend less time checking
on patient information so they have more time for
everything else.
Dental News recently spoke with individuals from
three New Jersey dental practices about why they
use Benefits Connection.
For Dr. Ben Berschler, who practices in Egg Harbor
Township, NJ, Benefits Connection is faster than
other means of checking benefits and eligibility. "The
true advantage of Benefits Connection is the instantaneous
access to information to determine the eligibility
and coverage for a new or current patient," says
Dr. Berschler.
Dr. Berschler's practice has 13 workstations, which
are connected to the Internet via high speed DSL
cable. But even offices without high-speed connections
can take advantage of Benefits Connection, says Suzanne
Rice, office manager of General Dentistry of Toms
River, NJ.
"I connect to the Internet using a dial-up service," says Rice. "I like Benefits
Connection because it's easier than calling Customer Service, and I can gather
information at my leisure. The only time I call Customer Service now is when
I have a specific question on a claim. The number of calls has gone down significantly."
Broadway Dental in Westwood, NJ, is Delta Dental's
top Benefits Connection user in New Jersey. Office
manager Linda Feinhals says the service saves her
time and is convenient.
"The time factor is the big advantage for us," says Feinhals. "We like the
Web because we can find out if a patient is eligible, and find information
that's needed such as when the last procedures were done."
Feinhals adds, "The claims lookup feature is fantastic,
too." She says that sometimes patients call with
questions about whether Delta Dental was sending
the payment to them or to the dental office. "I can
pull it up on the computer screen and tell them exactly
what is happening with the payment."
Dr. Berschler says Benefits Connection helps him
take better advantage of his and his patients' time. "Scheduled
appointment time is too valuable not to have as much
information about insurance coverage as possible." His
staff checks on eligibility while patients are still
on the phone making their appointments. "If the patient
is not on the Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey system,
we can refer the patient to their insurance administrator
to rectify problems before their appointment," he
says.
Benefits Connection helps Rice better communicate
to patients about what their dental benefits cover. "I
am able to print out information about patients'
benefits and show it to them. They seem to believe
it much better when they see it rather than if I
just tell them."
Dr. Berschler strongly believes that Internet technology
and Benefits Connection help his dental practice
operate more efficiently. "Delta Dental Plan of New
Jersey has provided a means for our profession to
be more productive," he says. "I urge the dental
community to take advantage of the technology available
to us."
Benefits Connection provides online access to information
about your patients' Delta Dental benefits and eligibility.
It's the same information that Delta Dental's Customer
Service agents use, so it's up to date. You can also
use Benefits Connection to submit claims at no charge
and check on the status of claims.
To register for Benefits Connection, go to www.deltadentalnj.com,
click "Dentists" and then "Register Now" in the Benefits
Connection Logon box. Just follow the directions
on the screen.
Web Tips and Tricks
A growing number of dental offices are turning to
the Web to get eligibility, claims status, and benefit
information including maximums and deductibles for
patients that visit their office. They understand
the ease of using these online services. However,
there are some offices that are resistant to use
the Internet for a number of reasons.
Here are answers to some of the most frequently asked
questions by people in dental offices about using
the Web:
How easy is it to get a virus?
A rule of thumb is to delete e-mails from people
you don't know, especially those that contain attachments.
You should never open an attachment from someone
you do not know. Also, be aware that files downloaded
from the Internet may contain viruses. So, as a precaution,
only download files from sources that you feel are
safe.
Scanning for Viruses
New antivirus software scans and cleans e-mail messages.
It removes viruses automatically, without interrupting
your work. And automatic updates help defend your
PC against new viruses. Some of the most popular
antivirus programs are Norton Antivirus by Symantec,
VirusScan 7.0 by McAfee, and PC-cillin by Trend Micro.
You can purchase these products either online or
in a computer store.
Office Misuse
There is software available that will restrict the
Web sites that users are allowed to visit on certain
computers. One program is CyberPatrol, which filters
and restricts certain Web sites. You can purchase
this software online at www.cyberpatrol.com. Proxy+
is another software package that allows you to limit
access to specific Web sites.
We hope that these tips are helpful and ease some
of the fears that people have about using the Internet.
If you have any more questions, or would like to
see a question answered in this newsletter, please
e-mail webmaster@deltadentalnj.com.
Please note that the above products are only suggestions
made by Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey and are not
endorsements of any products. We recommend that you
review your individual computer and network requirements
to determine which product is right for your office.
Thanks to Delta Dental Plan of Massachusetts, which allowed us to reprint
much of this article from the August 2003 issue of Delta Update.
CDT-4 Code Reminder
As of October 16, 2003, Delta Dental stopped accepting
procedure codes other than CDT-4 codes on electronic
claims submitted to our offices. Claims with non-CDT-4
codes will be rejected and returned to your office.
As of November 1, 2003, Delta Dental stopped accepting
procedure codes other than CDT-4 codes on paper claims
submitted to our offices. Claims with non-CDT-4 codes
will be rejected and returned to your office.
Delta Dental Receives 'AA-' Rating
from Standard & Poor's
Standard & Poor's recently affirmed Delta Dental
Plan of New Jersey's AA- counterparty credit and
financial strength ratings for the fourth consecutive
year. The analysis was based on the company's extremely
strong capitalization, excellent earnings and good
business position.
Standard & Poor's predicts a stable outlook for
Delta Dental, New Jersey's and Connecticut's leading
dental benefits carrier.
"Four years of high ratings from Standard & Poor's validates the merits
of our extensive dental provider networks and our approach to quality and customer
service," said Delta Dental President and CEO Walter VanBrunt. "We understand
that accessibility, value and cost containment are of paramount importance
to our customers, especially in a challenging economy. The S&P ratings
confirm that we are a strong company to do business with."
Standard & Poor's analysis noted that Delta Dental
is extremely well capitalized, which allows for both
flexibility and growth. According to the report,
Delta Dental's membership is expected to increase
in 2003. "We will continue efforts to upgrade our
customer service systems to ensure we are providing
the best service using leading-edge technology," said
VanBrunt.
A nationwide poll conducted in 2002 found that demand
for employer-sponsored dental benefits remains high,
despite overall concerns with the nation's healthcare
system. Studies have also shown that when employees
maintain a higher level of oral health, their employers
experience cost and productivity benefits. Companies
who contract with Delta Dental to offer benefits
are partnering with a financially secure entity,
and also offering their employees a quality, highly
valued product.
Office Managers Advisory Council
Meets
Recently, Delta Dental's Professional Relations
Department hosted two dental office managers' advisory
council meetings, one in Connecticut and one in New
Jersey. Seven offices participated from Connecticut
and nine from New Jersey.
Topics that were discussed included fee filing forms,
CDT-4 codes, DeltaUSA processing policies, alternate
benefits, the Delta Dental Plans Association national
provider file, dentist handbook revisions, Explanation
of Benefits (EOB) wording, Benefits Connection, Health
Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),
and the In-Net value-added program for participating
dentists.
Participants from Delta Dental included Kim Alberico,
dental network coordinator for Connecticut; Bea Buccos,
manager, Professional Relations; and Beth DeCapio
and Charlene Yurko, dental network coordinators for
New Jersey.
The meetings were very positive, and we learned a
lot about the daily challenges dental offices face.
All participants asked to be included in the next
annual office managers' council. The dental network
coordinators feel this is a useful way to exchange
information and ideas between the dental office and
Delta Dental. Through these meetings, Delta Dental
hopes to better understand what is working for the
office managers and what is not, and to enable the
office managers to better understand what we are
doing for the dental community and why.
Golf Outing Raises $55,000 for
Special Olympics
The Thirteenth Annual Delta Dental Classic, which
took place in July at Fiddler's Elbow Country Club,
raised $55,000 for Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ).
Since the Delta Dental Classic began in 1991, it
has raised more than $410,000 for SONJ.
SONJ is dedicated to empowering individuals with
mental retardation to become physically fit, productive
and respected members of society through sports training
and competition.
Contest winners include:
1st Place Low Gross (Ladies): Leslie Ann Skurla
1st Place Low Gross (Men): Darrin Joscelyn
1st Place Gross Team: Peter Louie, Fred Sterritt,
Tom Morgenstern, Jim Schulz
Special thanks to all of our participants and sponsors.
Mark that Date!
The Fourteenth Annual Delta Dental Golf Classic
will take place on June 23, 2004, at Fiddler's Elbow
Country Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. The golf
classic benefits Special Olympics New Jersey. More
details will follow shortly.
Important Claim Reminders
Submit claims within 12 months: Claims must
be submitted on an ADA approved form or on a pre-treatment
estimate voucher and must be received by Delta Dental
within 12 months from the date of service. If coordination
of benefits applies, Delta Dental must receive the
claim within 12 months from the primary carrier's
payment date. According to New Jersey Prompt Pay
legislation, Delta Dental will disallow a claim if
it is not received within 12 months of the date of
service. A participating dentist may not charge an
eligible patient for any amount that would have been
payable by Delta Dental if a timely claim had been
submitted.
How to follow up on claims: Please follow
up on any claim if you have not received any response
from Delta Dental within eight weeks of submitting
a claim. You may check on the status of claims
at any time using our online Benefits Connection
(www.deltadentalnj.com; click "Dentist") or by
calling our automated and newly revised voice response
system (800-452-9310). Please call Customer Service
(800-452-9310) if the system indicates there is
no record of your claim.
Include correct subscriber Social Security number: Delta
Dental has been receiving a number of claims with
what appear to be dummy Social Security numbers
of 123-45-6789. Failure to include the correct
Social Security number will result in processing
delays. (Please note that Delta Dental has implemented
steps to protect the confidentiality of this information,
including removing it from Explanation of Benefits
(EOBs) and form letters.)
Include correct dates of service: When submitting
a claim for a crown, root canal, bridgework or
denture, indicate the month, day, and year the
service was completed. Delta Dental Plan of New
Jersey payments are based on the completion date
of the treatment. For complete dentures and removable
partial dentures, it is the delivery date. For
bridges and crowns, it is the date the appliance
is inserted regardless of the type of cement used.
Also, the New Jersey State Board of Dentistry rules
and regulations notes that no licensee shall submit
to a third party payer any claim, bill or governmental
assistance claim that contains any treatment date
that does not accurately reflect the date when
the service and procedures were actually completed.
Public Service Posters Available
for Downloading
The Delta Dental Plans Association has developed
a series of public service announcement posters,
which participating dentists can download for use
in their practice. Poster topics include the link
between oral health and cardiovascular health, children's
oral health, diabetes, and general health.
To download the posters, go to www.deltadental.com,
click "Dentists" on the navigation bar on the left,
and then "Public Service Posters."
Do You Know the Answer to Our
Claims Quiz?
What's the fastest way to get your claims paid?
A. Send them via Fed Ex.
B. Drive to Delta Dental's office and hand-deliver
them.
C. Submit them online using Benefits Connection.
If you answered C, you're right! Most claims (76%)
submitted online through Benefits Connection adjudicate
immediately, which means your check will be printed
during the next check run. Delta Dental prints checks
every week. You can verify the exact dates of check
runs using Benefits Connection. In most cases, payment
for claims submitted through Benefits Connection
is received within two weeks.
To submit an online claim, visit our Web site at
www.deltadentalnj.com and click "Dentists." Then
log onto Benefits Connection, click "Claim Submission," and
follow the instructions on the screen. (If you haven't
registered for Benefits Connection, click "Register
Now" and follow the directions on the screen.)
Are You Covered by HIPAA?
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
offers an online tool to help you determine if your
practice is a covered entity under the Health Insurance
Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). To access
this tool, go to http://www.cms.hhs.gov/hipaa/hipaa2/support/tools/decisionsupport/default.asp.
Smoking Cessation Help Available
Experts warn that smoking can be hazardous to our
health. If you need information to counsel your patients
on smoking cessation, please contact NJ Quitline
at (866) 657-8677, or visit the New Jersey Dental
Association Web site at www.njda.org. Click "Public," then
the "Save Your Smile" icon on the top of the screen.
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