Very Dental: Making Dental Insurance Sexy with Teresa Duncan

Alan recently sat down with Teresa Duncan at the Chicago Midwinter Dental meeting! Teresa is an expert in dental insurance and dental office management. The conversation dives into the often-overlooked but critical aspects of dental practice, including insurance compliance, the evolving role of AI in administrative tasks, financial discussions with patients, hygiene practice management, and the potential future of dental practices within the broader healthcare landscape. The episode offers practical advice and insights for dentists and their teams on navigating the complexities of modern dental administration and compliance.

Key Discussion Points:

• The Challenge of "Unsexy" Topics:
  • Dentists often prioritize clinical topics (like implants) over administrative and compliance issues.
  • Theresa's ability to make complex, less appealing topics engaging.
• Compliance Concerns:
  • Importance of compliance in areas like insurance contracts.
  • The burden of compliance and its lack of intuitiveness.
• Medicare Advantage Plans:
  • Requirement for fraud, waste, and abuse training for anyone submitting claims, even out-of-network providers.
  • Importance of compliance to avoid audits or being dropped from networks.
  • CMS's role and the responsibility of insurance companies to ensure network compliance.
• Improving Claims:
  • The importance of good radiographs and documentation.
  • Documenting patient statements and details in clinical notes.
  • Insurance companies' preference for screenshots of clinical notes over narratives.
• AI in Dentistry:
  • Potential benefits of AI for note-taking and reducing administrative burden.
  • Ambient listening technology for recording patient encounters.
  • Concerns about privacy and the need for patient permission.
  • AI's ability to assist with tasks like writing appeals and generating documents.
• Phone Answering AI:
  • AI's potential for handling phone calls and answering patient questions.
  • Questions about patient acceptance and ethical considerations regarding disclosure.
• Financial Discussions in Dentistry vs. Medicine:
  • The difference in how financial matters are discussed with patients in dentistry and medicine.
  • Challenges related to insurance reimbursements and patient responsibility.
• Hygiene Practices:
  • The impact of hygiene shortages on dental practices.
  • Debate around pre-appointing hygiene and the value of hygiene services.
  • Financial considerations for hygiene services and the need to ensure profitability.
• Out-of-Network Considerations:
  • Challenges and benefits of going out of network.
  • The importance of excellent patient service and communication for out-of-network practices.
• Revenue Cycle Management:
  • The increasing specialization of roles in revenue cycle management.
  • The trend toward outsourcing revenue cycle functions.
  • The importance of understanding all aspects of the revenue cycle.
• The Future of Dental Practices:
  • Concerns about the influence of DSOs and potential consolidation with healthcare systems.
  • The role of the ADA and the potential impact of Medicare expansion on dentistry.
  • Challenges facing dentists, including student debt and employment trends.

Resources and Links (To be added to show notes):

• Links to Medicare and Medicaid training resources (as mentioned in the podcast).
• Information about Theresa Duncan's online courses and Dental Revenue Network.
• Information about the American Association of Dental Office Management (A-ADOM).

Some links from the show:

• Odyssey Management (Teresa's company)
• AADOM
• Dental Revenue Network

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