How to choose a dental billing service company for your dental practice?

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How to choose a dental billing service company for your dental practice?

The search for the right dental billing company is no exception. Indexing, outsourcing documentation, RCM, and billing feels like a big decision where you need a group of people you trust to get paid. Outsourcing allows the providers to focus on treatment so that nothing can get in the way of patient care. An RCM company can take over all the billing challenges, insurance denials, and errors and streamline all the data to reduce billing errors and improve collections. 

Here are the following points in selecting the dental billing service for your practice: 

Prioritize the need for your practice 

Before beginning to research the dental billing company, consider what parameters you would like them to address and resolve for you. Some questions are worth asking, such as: 

  • What is the collection percentage of your practice? 
  • What is the insurance aging report? 
  • Does the dental practice struggle to get paid by the insurers? 
  • What is the current status of the front team? 

Answering the above questions not only makes you feel confident about what you are looking forward to before the initial conversation with the dental billing company. It also ensures that you are aware of your practice. The outsourcing company will not put you in the corner, and you will be able to make a conscious decision.

It is also crucial to consider how many skill-based tasks in practice you need to outsource. For instance, if you outsource specific billing tasks and have small data volumes. In that case, a small-scale or home-based billing company will do. The larger billing companies provide a lot of features and additional facilities. If your practice has large data volumes and includes a lot of specialties, then preferably opting for a professional billing company can take more burden off your shoulders. 

Most dental practices prefer this type of billing company that is capable of handling all  administrative tasks. They control large volumes of data. 

Research about the outsourcing company 

How long have they been in the business? Are they HIPAA compliant? What experience do they  have in the specialty? Do the services that the dental billing company offers match your practice needs? Start assessing their website. Whether they have the price listing, and if so, you can create the budget that fits your need. Also, understand if they have any hidden or additional charges to avoid the surprise bill. 

Take a thorough look at the website, like the onboarding process, contract length, how many people to interact with daily, when to expect the increased collection, reading the reviews about the company, the customer service, etc.  

All these points will help you understand the compatibility with your practice and if there is any red  flag that you do not want to work with them. 

Plan the budget for the outsourcing 

Setting a budget for the billing company will keep you away from surprises. Most billing companies offer prices on their website that are a relief for the practices that plan the budget. If it is substantially low, it is a red flag, meaning either they have hidden charges or the quality of work is not efficient.

Mostly, dental billing companies offer different services, and thereby, prices differ. Consider outsourcing as an investment where you and your team can focus on excellent patient care, and the billing company focuses on the tasks that will bring timely reimbursement. 

Communication matters a lot 

You have completed the research, and you have made the budget. Now is the time to connect with the company and understand how its sales team communicates with you. Pushy salespeople are unpleasant, and you can feel the energy of being overworked. If that is the case, do not sign the contract. It tells a lot about what service you will get. 

You want a company that is transparent and communicates clearly. If they are running around and bombarding you with emails and calls or completely ghosting you, consider twice before getting into business with them. 

Every dental practice, in the end, wants to be successful, and outsourcing can help you achieve that goal if you choose the right dental billing company.