Hello everyone!  Today I want to talk about codes that you could be billing and are not.  By doing an internal audit you can find the codes being used and compare them to what you can bill.

Example:

Doctors:  Are you billing all the correct codes for crowns and understand what the insurance is allowing.  If you are in network with dental plans some will down-code the crown, from porcelain vs. all metal.  Are you having the patient  see the crowns covered and having them sign a form that they are willing to pay the difference between the gold and porcelain.  This is very similar to billing a composite on a molar and getting paid for amalgam.

Hygiene:

Are you billing for the following codes on a regular basis:

D1310 Nutritional counseling for control of dental disease

D1320  Tobacco counseling for the control and prevention of oral disease

D1354 Interim caries arresting medicament application - per tooth

Did you know that Delta Dental will cover these when you are billing thru the HOW program.  go to this web site to learn about billing additional treatments.

https://healththroughoralwellness.com/Home

The best is to bill what you do since the patients clinical notes are not just meant to collect from an insurance company but to keep your records legal.  Don't follow what is covered follow the law that states you should bill what you do!  

There are more legal issues that revolve around your notes, then what will get paid.