Is Medical Billing the Same as Dental Billing?

Most medical billing companies have trouble taking on dental billing.  They assume that dental billing services are not too different from medical billing—but that is incorrect.  Billing for dental professionals is a totally different animal, and finding dental billing companies that know what they are doing is not an easy task.  A dental billing company first needs to know how to differentiate CPT from CDT codes.  Medical billing for dentists does not mean that the same coding used for medical billing service is also for dental billing service.  Whereas medical billing uses a CMS 1500 form, claims for dentist billing are called J400 forms.

Dental billing companies in USA must also be ready to deal with a plethora of procedures that are unknown to medical billing.  These include tooth number or letter, tooth surface, area of the oral cavity, missing teeth information, and tooth system.  Billing services for dentist practices need to be experienced and ready to tackle the ins and outs that dentists billing service necessitates.

Dental billing claims generally take shorter for reimbursement then medical claims, but dental billing services still need to stay on top of follow-up in order to get that reimbursement.  Billing for dental professionals usually takes care of 100% of cleanings, but only a fraction of other treatments.  Dental billing companies also must deal with low annual maximum benefits compared to medical insurance.  Medical billing for dentists is a good way for patients to be able to afford more care.  A competent dental billing company should be able to bill for both dentist billing and medical billing; many dental billing companies in USA can only do one or the other.  A good dental billing service must also know when medical insurance will not apply to dental procedures. 

Many billing services for dentist professionals claim that they can do dental billing, but most do not “walk the walk.”  Finding an effective and experienced dentists billing service can be like finding a needle in a haystack sometimes.  That is why it is important to go with a dental billing company that has a free trial, a competitive rate, and can back up their talk with references.