Dental Office Management 36 Dental Office Management

The Reception Area “Waiting room” has negative connotation Colors, design, and seating should be relaxing and comfortable Magazines should be interesting and current Americans with Disabilities Act All patients should feel welcome and comfortable. Many dentists have had reception areas designed to reflect a homey atmosphere. Referring to it as a “waiting room” would infer that the client’s time is not important. Availability of current magazines, brochures, and pamphlets create the overall feeling that the staff cares about the patients. In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed mandating that all health care facilities with more than 15 employees ensure proper access be available for patients with disabilities.

The Dental Receptionist and Business Office Staff Organizes time and multi-tasks Communicates effectively, listens, and observes patients Responds to upset patients The receptionist in the dental office is expected to communicate with patients and staff, listen, observe and respond to patients, and be able to complete multiple tasks.

The Dental Receptionist and Business Office Staff Job Description of Dental Receptionist Greet patients Assist patients with paperwork Answer telephone and take messages Maintain patient charts and records The dental receptionist must perform many different tasks, such as patient greeting, assisting with paperwork, answering the phone, taking messages, and maintaining charts and records.

The Dental Receptionist and Business Office Staff The Dental Office Bookkeeper May double as receptionist Handles office finances Accounts receivable and payable Inventory and supplies Often doubling as the office receptionist, the bookkeeper handles office finances, inventory, and supplies. He or she must possess knowledge of dental services and office equipment.

The Dental Receptionist and Business Office Staff The Dental Office Bookkeeper Must be organized, have knowledge of dental services, and communicate effectively Must possess knowledge of office equipment

Dentistry Marketing Marketing Newsletters Giveaways Referral thank-you notes Special occasion cards Marketing is a means of attracting and retaining patients.

Dentistry Marketing Marketing Patient photographs Postcards from patients Coupons for dental services Refrigerator magnets There are several means employed by health care facilities in an effort to market their services, such as sending newsletters to their existing patients, giving away prizes and presents, sending gifts for referrals, displaying photographs and cards from patients, offering coupons for dental services, and supplying patients with magnets so that the office phone number is easily accessible.

The United States Postal Service Small Business Plans Deferred payment plans Online payments Certified mail/certificate of mailing COD Delivery confirmation The United States Postal Service offers several plans for small business to allow convenient and affordable mailing. Deferred payments allow businesses to be billed up to three months from the mail date. Payments can be made online or by cash-on-delivery (COD). Mail may be tracked with registered mail, covered with insured mail, and traced with certified mail, delivery confirmation, and return receipt.

The United States Postal Service Small Business Plans Insured mail Registered mail Restricted delivery Return receipt

Telephone Technique Basic telephone techniques No eating or drinking while on phone Answer within two or three rings Smile Speak directly into mouthpiece The telephone may be the first contact the patient has with the office and may therefore set the stage for the care a person expects to receive. The first impression tends to be a lasting impression. Staff are expected to follow basic telephone techniques, such as: No eating or drinking while on phone Answer within two or three rings Smile Speak directly into mouthpiece Use same volume as if speaking directly to patient Enunciate, speak at a normal rate, and use good manners Listen carefully, use caller’s name, and allow caller to end the call

Telephone Technique Basic telephone techniques Use same volume as if speaking directly to patient Enunciate, speak at a normal rate, and use good manners Listen carefully, use caller’s name and allow caller to end the call

Telephone Technique Answering calls Placing caller on hold Taking messages Outgoing calls Long-distance calls English as a Second Language Telephone and business office technology Calls are answered by the dental receptionist, often while he or she also performing other tasks. Often, the calls must be screened to determine what the patient needs, whether the receptionist can assist or if the dentist needs to respond. In some situations, the caller must be placed on hold in order for the receptionist to take on another task. When the receptionist is unable to resolve the issue, a message is recorded with the date and time of call, name and phone number of patient, urgency and call back time, action required, and name of message taker should there be questions. Calls made from the office are made to confirm appointments. Often the receptionist must leave messages, and it is important to remember that confidentiality is expected. When placing long distance calls it is a good idea to take into consideration the time zone for that location. Speaking with patients who use English as a second language requires that the receptionist be patient, speak slowly and at a normal level. Most offices use various forms of technology in their telephone services. Answering systems, answering services, voice mail, fax machines, email, cellular phones, and paging systems are often employed.

Business Office Systems Common dental office software Database management Computer safety A variety of software applications are available in the health care office. Software chosen should reflect the needs of the office, and includes general purpose applications including word processing (to create memos, letters, and reports), graphics (to create graphs, pie charts, and bar graphs), and spreadsheet management (to record, track, and manage data). Information, including names, family members, addresses, phone numbers, and insurance information is collected into a database, and is easily transferred to word processing, graphs, and spreadsheets. Office staff should be aware of proper computer safety. Virus protection and file backup should be incorporated in office training. Additionally, the safety of the individual is a concern and ergonomic seating and keyboards, monitor glare protectors, and keyboard disinfection should be discussed.

Patient Scheduling Appointment books Computer scheduling Appointment book entries Recall patients Effective patient scheduling creates a smooth patient flow throughout the day. There are several options to assist. Appointment books vary in style. The number of columns required depends on the amount of services provided and the number of dentists. It is necessary to use pencil when writing an appointment. Also, the amount of time to perform a service should be considered in order to block off the appropriate amount of time. Computer scheduling offers a quicker scheduling time, yet the same issues of down time (time when appointments are not scheduled), overtime (when patient treatment exceeds the allotted time), and overlap of time (time when dental team is required to be in more than one place at the same time) are still considerations. Patients are recalled for continued care and maintenance.

Dental Records Management Equipment and supplies for record management Files File Cabinets Patient chart filing Record confidentiality Daily schedule Accurate dental records management is essential for quality care, as well as to protect the dental office legally. The filing system is usually indexed and organized alphabetically, color coded, and kept confidential. Most offices keep a daily schedule of the schedule of patients for the day in order to plan ahead and setup for incoming patients.

Accounts Receivable Patient fees Professional courtesy Usual Reasonable Customary Professional courtesy A fee schedule is setup to define the charge for each service. Usual fees are those typically charged by the dentist for a specific procedure. Reasonable fees are the midrange of fees charged for the same procedure and used when the case is more difficult than normal. The customary fee is the average up to the 90th percent that the dentists in the area charge for the same procedure. Many times, dentists adjust the fees by means of a professional courtesy, allowing a discount to other dental workers, their families, and friends.

Patient Account Management Pegboard System of Account Management Section 1: Patient transactions Section 2: Deposits Section 3: Business analysis summary Section 4: Daily transactions totaled Section 5: Accounts receivable balanced The pegboard system is an account management system that uses days sheets to record each charge, payment, and adjustments. The day sheet is organized as follows: Section 1: Patient transactions Section 2: Deposits Section 3: Business analysis summary Section 4: Daily transactions totaled Section 5: Accounts receivable balanced Computerized account management is a quicker version of account management.

Patient Account Management Computer System of Account Management Monthly billing Financial information Patients are billed monthly. Should the patient be unable to pay in full, he or she is offered either a deferment of payment or financing is set up and a dentist may require that finance charges be added. Financial information is often gathered through credit reports and the like to determine if financing is to be offered.

Patient Account Management Dental insurance Capitation program Contract fee schedule plan Direct reimbursement plans Managed care plans With dental insurance, a large portion of the amount due may be collected according to the dental coverage of the individual and dependants. With the capitation program, a fixed fee is paid for each service. The dental fee schedule plan requires that dentists who participate are to accept a predetermined fee for the service. With the direct reimbursement plan, patients agree to pay for the service up front and are reimbursed by the employer. Plans that provide minimum care to everyone are called managed care plans. While trying to encourage preventative care, in turn cost is controlled.

Patient Account Management Submitting dental insurance claims Dental service payment Collection management Special collection situations Recording payments Most dental offices submit dental insurance claims as a courtesy. Patient and subscriber information is filled out by the patient and recorded by the office staff in CDT codes. Payments for dental services can be made as cash payment or check payment, and in most offices by credit card or loan. At times when payment has not been made, collection agencies are employed to retrieve the funds. In special collection situations, such as bankruptcy, death, or if someone cannot be located, different tactics are used. Payments that are received are recorded in a ledger or bookkeeping system.

Accounts Payable Overhead Gross income Net income Expenses Fixed Variable The accounts payable is the amount of money owed to others, which includes expenses (overhead). Gross income refers to the total of all accounts receivable and net income the result of the gross income less the accounts payable. Expenses that remain the same are called fixed and those that fluctuate are variable

Accounts Payable Inventory Supply Systems Shelf Life Item Price Unit Price Bulk Price Expendable supplies are disposable and used up quickly, such as cotton balls and stationary. Non-expendable items, such as an autoclave and light-curing unit, are supplies that are used in the office for a lengthier time. Products are rated on the inventory supply system according to the following factors: shelf life (length of storage time until deterioration begins), item price, unit price, bulk price, price break (minimum quantity to receive reduction in cost), lead time (time from order to receipt), rate of use, and reorder point (time to order new supply taking into account lead time).

Accounts Payable Inventory Supply Systems Price Break Lead Time Rate of Use Reorder Point

Accounts Payable Account payment Petty cash Payroll Accounts are paid either monthly or bimonthly. All payments are reviewed, checked for accuracy, and then rechecked afterwards with the bank statement. Petty cash is kept in the office for minor expenses and it is the duty of the receptionist to keep track of the cash account by creating vouchers and receipts when funds are used. Payroll is often done by the business office staff using charts provided by the Internal Revenue Service in order to calculate withholdings.