10 Daily Tasks For a Remote Dental Biller
As a remote dental billing specialist, you help manage the financial side of a dental practice. Your main focus is handling insurance claims, patient payments, and other billing tasks, all from the comfort of your own home office. But how does the “nitty gritty” of those tasks shake out? Let’s take a look at what you can expect as a remote dental billing specialist at eAssist.
-
Submitting Insurance Claims
Submitting claims is a multi-step process, with three crucial areas where problems can potentially occur:
- Ensure patient information (name, date of birth, insurance, etc) is correct and accurate to date
- Attach all relevant clinical notes, x-rays, and other necessary documentation for each procedure performed during treatment
- Match billing codes to all procedures
Remote dental billing specialists with eAssist can expect to submit claims within one business day after treatment to help with timely and accurate reimbursement. This also helps lessen your overall workload by making sure claims don’t start to stack up in the “I’ll do this later” pile.
-
Verifying Insurance Coverage
Checking a patient’s insurance should happen before an appointment, whether that’s two weeks or just 24 hours before their treatment. Making sure their insurance is current, covers the treatment being provided, and has an accurate copay is essential to ensuring that the rest of the claim submission process happens quickly and fully.
-
Following Up on Claims
Unfortunately, not all claims get paid right away. Sometimes they’re denied or delayed. One of your tasks will be to follow up on these kinds of claims. You might need to resubmit them with additional information or appeal the denial and show your work. Staying persistent and keeping track of which claims need attention will be key to getting reimbursements processed and lower your office’s overall outstanding AR.
-
Posting Payments
Once the dental office receives payments from insurance companies or patients, you’ll be responsible for posting them to the correct accounts. You’ll need to make sure the amounts are accurate and match what was expected from the claim reimbursement. This also includes applying any necessary adjustments or discounts the patient may have received from the office or insurer.
-
Billing Patients
If insurance doesn’t cover the full cost of a dental procedure, it might be your job to send the patient a reminder about their bill. You’ll generate statements that explain what the patient owes and why. You may also answer personal patient questions about their bills, helping them understand any outstanding charges and payments. Offices may also work with patients to create a custom plan for repayment that works for both parties.
-
Managing Accounts Receivable
You’ll also keep track of the practice’s accounts receivables. This means monitoring the payments that are due and following up with patients or insurance companies if payments are late. Keeping over 90 AR near to zero is an essential eAssist brand promise that we work hard to achieve for every practice we service.
-
Using Billing Software
This is where you’ll enter patient information, submit claims, track payments, and generate reports that showcase your adherence to our brand promises. Consider practice management software (PMS) your personal accountability report as well as a general workstation where your work “lives”.
-
Communicating with Dental Offices
Even though you’re working remotely, you’ll need to stay in regular contact with the dental office. This means checking in with the front desk team, your remote team at eAssist, talking to the dentist, and more. eAssist requires all remote specialist teams to send out accountability reports weekly and monthly.
-
Tracking Denials and Appeals
When insurance claims get denied, you’ll need to track why and take steps to appeal the decision. This means working closely with the insurance company to provide any extra documentation or explanation they need.
-
Staying Updated on Coding Changes
Insurance companies often update their policies and coverage rules, and dental practices rely on you to stay informed. One part of this process is CDA codes, which change on an annual basis in terms of rules, applicability, and even the code itself. Luckily, eAssist’s partnership with coding industry leader Practice Booster means our remote teams get a leg up on the competition with free coding resources to help speed up claim submission.
All of these tasks can account for a fulfilling and productive dental billing day. Whether you prefer sipping coffee while working claims or taking them with tea in the afternoon, the ability to work from home while giving practices peace of mind is something eAssist works toward with every biller we hire.