I hope this holiday season is a safe and joyous one for you and your loved ones. Thanks for being part of the Links2Success family.

We look forward to keeping you abreast of new and exciting Links2Success events in the coming year.

Sincerely,
Christine Taxin – Links2Success

Researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute recently discovered a large number of Fusobacterium cells in colorectal tumor samples, prompting them to consider that the bacteria primarily found in dental plaque may play a role in causing colon cancer.

Need more? The American Academy for Oral Systemic Health declared 2011, “The Year of the Mouth.” The AAOSH points out there is a growing mountain of research connecting poor oral health to the deadliest of diseases including heart disease, stroke, cancer, and diabetes. “Oral health problems have also been shown to have close connections to many other serious health concerns like Alzheimer’s, arthritis, pneumonia, and pregnancy complications,” they maintain.

The oral-systemic connection is apparent to all: dentists, medical doctors, and, finally, patients. This is now causing a monumental shift in the dental health field. You are no longer operating a dental office — you are now the proud owner of a dental wellness center! Congratulations! And by the way, you can now start billing some routine and special dental services to your patient’s medical insurance.

Hold on there, you say. How do I do that? The springboard to accomplish is there in front of you. This change in billing procedures can be learned and “set in stone,” becoming an integral part of daily operations at your dental wellness center. Your patients’ oral and overall health will benefit, and your business will benefit too.

Time and time again, our patients’ dental insurance falls woefully short. Obtaining reimbursement through medical insurance for certain important dental treatment will increase case acceptance, allowing you to provide better patient care. Your dental wellness center can take action on conditions in the oral cavity such as periodontal disease, sleep apnea, TMD, and more that could potentially impact patients’ overall health and quality of life.

Key first steps to take:

• Open your mind to this new billing change. Remember oral surgeons have been cross-code billing successfully for decades!
• Pinpoint the procedures you can bill to medical insurance, and determine their medical necessity. Then document, document, document in patients’ records.
• Review your charts to find the patients at greatest risk. Those patients with heart disease, diabetes, sleep apnea, TMD, and pregnancy are great places to start.
• Educate patients about how their oral conditions affect their overall health. Get out your soap box and use your bulletin boards, on-hold messages, newsletters, email alerts, and social media.
• Learn to implement these billing processes, or outsource it.

The increasing prominence of the oral-systemic connection also provides new ways to market your business. The mindset of a dental wellness center can promote a healthy recall system and reactivate patients who are staying away from the office. A little patient communication will go a long way — show you care about their overall health, and convince them their dental recall appointments can potentially save their lives.

Another potential marketing benefit to being a dental wellness center: physician referrals. Physicians are tuned into the new research and know the importance of the oral-systemic connection. Build relationships with physicians and specialists. They can potentially provide your dental wellness center with a steady stream of new patients.

• Dental procedures frequently covered by medical plans
• Completing the CMS1500 claims form: stepbystep instruction
• Locating and prioritizing medical diagnosis and procedure codes how to diagnose from medical history and exam instead of locating.
• How to call Insurance companies for preauthorization

2. How to Bill Medical for Dental Diagnostic Procedures – Monday, March 12th at 8PM (EST)

• Selecting the correct codes.
• Billing for systemic disease, radiation, medication, bulimia, diabetes, etc.
• Writing a letter of medical necessity
• How to report oral DNA, xrays, pulp tests, etc.  (using diagnostic tools)

3. Medical Billing for Oral Appliances & Orthotics – Thursday, April 19th at 8PM (EST)

• TMJ orthotics,
• Coding the appliances and adjustment
• Coding the diagnosis and symptoms
• Billing the restoration after the orthotic
• Billing: TENS, DOPPLER, ELECTROMYOGRAPHY

4. Introduction to Sleep Apnea Billing – Thursday, April 26th at 8PM (EST)

• Coding the appliance and adjustments
• Coding the diagnosis and symptoms
• Criteria for coverage
• Are you in or out of Medicare?

5. Participating or NotParticipating on Medical Insurance? – Monday, May 14th at 8PM (EST)

• Pro’s and Con’s on participating or notparticipating on medical community
• Understanding in network, out of network or participating with Medicare.
• Forms needed wither you participate or not on medical arena
• Documenting the claim form for maximum payment.

6. Billing Medical for Surgical Extractions, Implants and Biopsies – Monday, May 21st at 8PM (EST)

• Knowing when to use medical
• The criteria for billing under medical
• Understanding the reason why it would be medical
• Coding extractions, implants, sucket preservation crafts, ridge augmentation crafts  and membranes.

7. Billing CT Scans Two Dimensional and Three Dimensional – Monday, June 4th at 8PM (EST)

• Medical billing for the following: ortho, neuromuscular, sleep apnea, implants, surgical

8. Documentation Update – Tuesday, June 12th at 8PM (EST)

• Writing a Narrative
• Adding Attachments and Why?
• Appealing a Medical Claim

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(2-day course or custom Webinar modules)

Day 1: Introduction to Medical Billing for the Dental Office

Day 2: Advanced Medical Billing for the Dental Office

Module A – Review your patient charts

Module B – Electronic billing: Why must it be this way?

Module C – Medical Billing for Dental Implants

Module D – Medical Billing for Periodontal Treatment

Module E – Medical Billing for Sleep Apnea

Module F – Medical Billing for TMD

Dentists know the connection between oral health and overall health. Dental practices can, and should, help protect patients from dangerous medical conditions. This can increase patient treatment acceptance, generate quality referrals from physicians, and add a sizeable amount of new production to the practice’s schedule every month.

Behaving more like a Wellness Center not only changes your relationship with your patients, but your practice can now bill to medical insurance – just like oral surgeons have done for decades.  Practitioners will find it rewarding both emotionally and financially to work with patients to address perio disease, Sleep Apnea , TMD and other conditions. Dental practices can add new diagnostic tools and treatments to support the general health of patients and increase profits.

Course Objective:

• Overview of new treatments and diagnostic tools
• Teach participants how to optimize clinical results through treatment design by adding technology such as laser periodontal treatment
• Understand diagnosis and use of skills to increase insurance payments

Course Outcome:

• Learn how to communication with patients about new treatment
• Understand how dental/medical coding will help and increase  your coding skills
• Increase the number of patients who accept treatment and add a new referral source – MDs!

- Michael Masterson

Let’s face it – many of us are time-poor. We struggle to fit everything in, often staying late at work, suffering from stress created when our work-life balance is out of whack.  Does it have to be that way? No!

When you use effective time-management strategies at work you become the Master of your responsibilities. You can get everything done and have time left over to play. Learn time-management principles from this course and feel calmer and more in control at the end of the day.

Course Objectives: Combat Stress

1. Become more effective and more efficient
2. Discover how to prioritize and plan to maximize productivity
3. Assertively manage interruptions and requests
4. Get organized and create a positive impression (how to “look the part”)
5. Manage performance of your team
6. Learn core skills like how to ask powerful questions and active listening
7. Delegate effectively
8. Coach for results

Outcome: Become the “Zen Master”

1. Have a less stressful work day
2. Ask “close” -ended questions to gain back more time each day
3. Identify and eliminate common excuses you give yourself for putting things off
4. Develop your vision of the future, mission and goals
5. Lead your team effectively
6. Learn the 80/20 Rule “Pareto Principle”
7. Understand the value of “75 percent listening and 25 percent speaking”

Most practices are run with hand-me-down systems and rules to go with them. After this course you’ll be empowered to take charge of your office’s financials and its future. (Participants are strongly urged to continue to build financial savvy with Links2Success’ “Maximize Practice Revenue” course.)

This course provides dental office managers and staff with knowledge of accounting practices, truth in lending rules and tracking systems. Course information is provided by several specialists under the direction of DANB (Dental Assisting National Board) certification. After completing this program participants can take the online DANB Assessment-Based Certificate Program (ASBC) Accounts Receivable course and obtain a certificate of completion as credit towards the Fellow of the American Association of Dental Office Managers (FAADOM) program.

Course Objectives:

• Teach participants to understand practice philosophy, business principles and legal requirements to build a financial policy
• Help participants distinguish between accounts receivable and accounts payable
• Teach attendees about applicable rules like the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)and the Truth in Lending Act

Course Outcome:

• Train the entire dental team about the practice’s philosophy and business policy, and know all the legal rules that have to be followed
• Set the fees in your practice based on the community you serve and the Standard of Care you provide
• Go on to complete and pass the DANB ASBC Accounts Receivable course to earn a certificate

• Evolve Your Dental Practice into a Wellness Center - Add the health/medical dimension to your practice.

• Accounts Receivable Tools and Tricks - Take charge of your office’s financials and its future

• Dental to Medical Cross Code Billing (2-day course or custom Webinar modules) -Maximize treatment acceptance with your patient’s medical benefits

- Intro to Medical Billing for the Dental Office (day 1)

– Advanced Medical Billing for the Dental Office (day 2)

• Maximize Practice Revenue - Set appropriate fees for your office and navigate your patient’s dental benefits to reach production goals

• From Agitated to Zen: Time-Management Principles for the Dental Office – Learn effective time-management strategies to become the master of your responsibilities

• Social Media for Medical and Dental Practices -Expand your marketing reach and professional network with social media

   

  For a short sample of video presentation, please click on the link:

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZYGL_gwwA4&feature=player_embedded