How Well Does Your Practice Manage All The Different Dental Plans?

Does your staff see your production and think everything is great? Meanwhile, you have joined a variety of dental insurance plans and are left to review your lower reimbursements which make it a challenge to manage your dental practice. When you have joined several insurance plans, it is essential that you review the appropriate numbers. If you just look at production you will most likely be misled. Utilizing your software and setting up the system correctly can have a huge impact. Entering the fee schedule and identifying the correct claim format will save your office staff significant time as the negotiated fee will be entered on the patient ledger. This saves your office staff from manually entering an insurance adjustment for every patient, or even every code! Also, by setting up the proper tracking for the insurance plans, you will be able to run reports that provide information necessary to evaluate each PPO plan’s performance.

When you join several insurance plans, here are several  item you should consider:

• Fee schedule – how to enter the negotiated fees into your practice management system
• How to enter insurance payments so your system improves its insurance estimates in the future
• How to train your staff to add patients with certain employers and insurance plans
• Number of existing patients with this insurance plan – some patients will suddenly change from out-of-network to in-network and you need to know the effect this will have on your collections
• Subscribers in your zip code – so you know how many potential new patients you could gain by joining
• How to compare the different PPO plans so you know which are the best and worst – and determine which you want to join.

Getting your system set-up properly from the beginning will save time and money and provide you the resources you need to evaluate each plans reimbursements.

Is Your Dental Practice Paying Proper Sales Tax?

As a provider of personal services, a dentist’s services are exempt from sales tax. However, if your practice sells to patients items such as mouthwash, whiteners and toothbrushes, sales tax must be collected on these items.

In addition, dentists can be consumers of tangible personal property and services as well. Your practice is responsible for paying sales tax on purchases of supplies and equipment, including items that are consumed when rendering your services. For example, crowns, braces, brackets and implants. If the vendor you purchased these items from did not charge sales tax, you must pay use tax to the Ohio Department of Taxation. One of the most common trends we see are orders from out-of-state dental labs or equipment companies which are not properly charging sales tax.

The opposite of a sales tax is a use tax which is imposed when you purchase a taxable item, but don’t pay sales tax on it. As a result of the rapidly rising deficits, state taxing authorities are looking closely at dental practices for unpaid use tax for items purchased from vendors that have not charged sales tax.

Experience has shown us that many dental practices have no idea that they are at risk of exposure to this tax. If you have never filed sales or use tax returns, the state can audit your practice all the way back to the date it started business. The magnitude of unpaid sales and use taxes, plus interest and penalties, could be enormous.
If you haven’t addressed sales and use tax in your practice, now is the time to do so!

Visit our website, http://www.wvco.com or contact our dental accounting team if you have questions about these taxes (419) 891-1040.

How to Hire The Right Dental Office Receptionist

Having a good receptionist at a dental office is vital to the patient experience. Not only do they provide the link from the outside world to the office via telephone, but they are also the first one visited when a patient enters the office. First impressions are critical and with the large amount of patient traffic coming in and out of a dental office daily, you should expect your receptionist to appear professional with a welcoming manner to make patients feel comfortable.

Employers often make the mistake of relying too heavily on credentials when considering candidates for their receptionist position. Judging a person’s conduct can be just as important when interviewing for this role at your practice.Finding good help for your front desk can be tough, but here are a few important skills that you can look for when hiring.

Personality
One tip commonly given to receptionists is to smile while on the phone. This gives off a more friendly voice. Observe whether the candidate is smiling while speaking during an interview. If so, try to give a more challenging question and see if they keep the same disposition. This may provide you with some insight of how they will act when encountering a difficult patient either on the phone or in person.

In addition, a good dental receptionist can instantly spot (or hear on the phone) the personality type of a patient and then know exactly how to deal with the patient’s needs. In some instances, the receptionist may be a center of calm for nervous patients waiting to go in for treatment. If and when problems arise, they are the first person the patient will seek out.

Organization Skills
Detailed notes and to-do lists are some of the best practices used by top receptionists. Observe in an interview whether the candidate brought notes or takes written notes during the interview.

Thoroughness
Many great receptionists consistently repeat information to guarantee mutual understanding. Repeating names, telephone numbers and dates back to the caller is a positive sign that an individual is thorough and recognizes the importance of details. When a candidate schedules their interview, observe if they repeat and verify information. At the conclusion of the interview, making sure no questions have been skipped over or left unanswered. This will test the candidates ability to be proactive.

When you do think you have the right fit, give them time to adjust. Even the most adaptable receptionist will take some time to be comfortable in a new environment. An assessment after six weeks is an appropriate time frame to assess if your initial observations have carried over to the job.
Most importantly, don’t settle. Hiring the right candidate is essential. Remember, this person will serve as a reflection of the practice itself. It may take time to find the right fit, but having the right person is an essential component of a successful dental practice.