*REMINDER* This Year’s Insurance Benefits Will Expire Soon!
Dental insurance can be confusing for patients and providers alike. When I worked in a dental office, a majority of my time was spent communicating benefits to patients who needed help understanding their plan. Don’t assume your patients will automatically contact you when they want to use their benefits; many are surprised to learn it’s “use” or “lose” those benefits.
With only three months remaining in this calendar year, the time to act is now. Help influence your patients to make the right decision about their oral health by sending reminders of expiring dental insurance benefits today! In addition, don’t forget about flexible spending account (FSA) funds. Dental work is a common use of FSA funds and like dental insurance, it’s use it or lose it.
Put the power of Eaglesoft to work for you and find patients who have outstanding treatment plan items, or who are past due for recare and have insurance benefits remaining to help pay for that treatment. Patients frequently forget these deadlines. The holiday season can be very stressful; help your patients plan early and avoid the hassle of trying to cram in last-minute appointments.
To find patients who meet these criteria, use Eaglesoft’s practice management feature, The Money Finder. Depending on the parameters you set, The Money Finder will query your patient base and produce a concise list of patients who should be contacted. For example, use The Money Finder to generate a list of patients who have a proposed crown and at least $200.00 in remaining benefits. The Money Finder will allow you to create a report, send these patients to InContact, print labels, postcards, letters, etc. – whatever works best for your practice. The best part is you are able to communicate to a very specific group and therefore customize the letter, postcard or email you send, based on the needs of that patient. You can also send a generic letter to all patients or a mass email, depending on your preference. This would be a great way to remind patients of expiring FSA funds.
Another option for Eaglesoft users is Patterson Dental’s RevenueWell. RevenueWell uses patient and account information from Eaglesoft to automate routine patient communication activities – including expiring insurance benefits reminders. RevenueWell also provides patients with self-service tools that allow them access to their account information at any time of day. Patients can go online, access their account and print their own receipts to submit to their FSA for reimbursement. This allows you more time to focus on patient care.
And don’t forget about social media! If you have a website, Facebook or Twitter account, these are also great avenues to get these reminders in front of your patients. Get creative with your posts and consider offering an incentive to patients who book prior to a particular date.
I hope I’ve given you a few ideas today to help you communicate expiring benefits to your patients. If you have any questions about Eaglesoft or RevenueWell, please contact your local Patterson representative, visit the Explore Store online or call 1-800-475-5036.
Thanks for stopping by!
Great reminder. The last two weeks in December are always busy in our office so we get the word out early to schedule appointments ahead of time in order to use remaining dental insurance benefits. It’s also important to remind the treatment plan coordinator to double check how much of the maximum has been used before figuring co-pays at this time of year.
Great advice Dr. Logan! Thank you for taking the time to comment.