Essential Services to Expect from a Trusted Dental Billing Company12 min read

Dental practices often juggle patient care with complex billing rules and insurance paperwork. Studies showing the need for a dental billing company implies that most of the dentists face financial issues from coding mistakes or claim denials. Even small errors add up, as billing mistakes can siphon off 5 – 10% of a practice’s annual revenue. 

Dentists consistently list insurance headaches as a top concern, and roughly 8% of dental claims are denied on average. All of these facts make clear that outsourcing billing can be a smart move. 

For this purpose, a professional dental billing service provider brings experienced staff and systems to catch errors and speed reimbursements. Continue reading to learn what services to demand from a billing partner and why Transcure is regarded as one of the best dental medical billing companies for maximizing collections.

Signs Your Practice Needs a Dental Billing Company

If your practice manages billing in-house, watch for warning signs that it’s time to get expert help. Here are five red flags that indicate outsourcing could boost efficiency and cash flow:

1. Delayed Payments and Rising A/R Days

When Days in Accounts Receivable (A/R) climb above the industry norm (roughly 45 days), cash flow suffers. One industry analysis notes that payments should arrive within 30 days, and exceeding 45 days signals a problem. 

Extended A/R means claims are lingering uncollected, tying up funds, and creating financial strain. If your team spends months chasing old claims, a dental billing company can step in to accelerate follow-ups and improve collections.

2. High Claim Denials or Low Clean Claims Rate

A clean claims rate below 85% is a warning sign, as too many claims come back unpaid on first submission. These high denial rates mean extra work on appeals and resubmissions, which delays revenue. 

When your dental practice is seeing repeated denials for coding errors or missing information, a specialist dental RCM services provider can correct these issues up front. 

3. Declining or Stagnant Revenue

If collections aren’t keeping pace with your service volume, billing inefficiencies may be to blame. Even minor mistakes can erode income, as research shows billing errors can drain 5 – 10% of revenue. 

When having a flat bottom line despite a busy schedule, you may need to do something about this issue. Outsourcing to dental billing experts can help optimize fee schedules, minimize write-offs, and recapture lost funds by ensuring every eligible procedure is billed correctly.

4. Overwhelmed or Undertrained Billing Staff

Many practices find it hard to hire or retain certified medical/dental billers. When billing falls on busy front-office staff, mistakes increase and tasks back up. 

If your team is frequently working overtime on claims, that’s a sure sign that in-house dental medical billing services aren’t sustainable. A dedicated dental billing company brings trained professionals who specialize in dental coding and insurance rules, relieving your staff. 

5. Frequent Coding Errors or Compliance Issues

Dental coding is complex, with frequent updates to CDT, ICD-10, and other systems. Mistakes or outdated codes can trigger denials. If you’re correcting the same coding errors repeatedly or worrying about audits, it’s time for outside help. 

For this, reputable dental billing consultants stay current with all regulations. With certified coders, practices can ensure their claims are accurate and compliant before submission. 

Services a Dental Billing Company Must Offer to Practices

Choosing the right dental billing and coding services provider means ensuring they offer end-to-end services so you don’t have gaps in your collections. Look for a provider that delivers the following core services:

• Insurance Eligibility Verification: Before treatment, the company checks the patient’s insurance and benefits. This step prevents surprises, as proper eligibility verification can recoup tens of thousands of dollars by avoiding denials. 

• Claim Preparation and Submission: The dental billing services partner should handle all charge entry, apply correct CDT/ICD codes, and submit claims electronically to payers. Timely submissions mean faster reimbursements and fewer claim editing fees.

• Denial Management and Appeals: When a claim is denied, the dental billing company tracks it down, diagnoses the cause, and submits appeals. Proactive denial management resolves issues quickly to get each claim paid in full.

• Accounts Receivable (A/R) Follow-Up: The dental billing services in the USA should generate and review aging reports. While systematically following up on unpaid claims, regular A/R management teams ensure outstanding claims don’t fall through the cracks. 

• Patient Billing and Collections: Beyond insurance, the company handles patient billing. This includes generating patient statements, setting up payment plans, and posting payments. 

• Provider Credentialing and Enrollment: To bill insurance, providers must be properly credentialed and contracted. The dental billing services providers should manage credentialing by enrolling dentists with payers and handling renewals.

• Pre-Authorization and Predetermination: For complex or expensive procedures (like implants or orthodontics), pre-authorizations may be required. An expert dental billing team will obtain these approvals and predeterminations in advance to avoid costly post-service denials.

• Financial Reporting and Consulting: Finally, expect regular performance reports with metrics such as collection rates, A/R days, and denial statistics. Some also offer advisory services to improve practice operations and profitability.

A comprehensive dental billing service covers all these steps. With specialists handling each task, your practice avoids the common pitfalls of in-house billing and maximizes revenue.

How Transcure Meets the Criteria for the Best Dental Medical Billing Company?

Transcure has built a reputation as a leading dental revenue cycle partner. Founded in 2002, our dental billing company brings over 23 years of experience. Our team includes more than 1,100 certified billers and coders trained specifically in dental and medical billing. We serve practices nationwide with a full suite of services, including credentialing, eligibility checks, coding, claims submission, and much more. 

With a strong focus on accuracy and speed, Transcure consistently achieves over 98% first-pass claims acceptance rate and a 24-day average A/R turnaround. Most importantly, our staff are experts in all major coding sets (CDT, CPT, ICD-10, HCPCS), which helps avoid denials and speed refunds. 

Key Dental Billing Services Offered by Transcure

Transcure’s dedicated team provides specialized services that cover every stage of billing:

• Dental Provider Credentialing: Transcure’s credentialing experts enroll dentists with insurance networks and handle renewals. This ensures your providers are in-network (minimizing denials) and can access patient benefits.

• Insurance Verification and Benefits Analysis: Before patient visits, our dental billing experts check eligibility and coverage details. With this step, we reduce rejected claims and inform patients about their expected costs.

• Pre-Authorization Management: For treatment plans requiring pre-approvals (implants, orthodontics), Transcure obtains authorizations from payers in advance. Our dental billing services providers do this to avoid last-minute denials. 

• Charge Entry and Accurate Coding: Every procedure is coded correctly by Transcure’s dental coding specialists. Through dental billing audits, our team reviews documentation to apply the proper CDT codes, catching potential errors before claims are filed.

• Claims Submission and EOB Posting: Generally, our billers transmit claims electronically to insurers via clearinghouses. When the Explanation of Benefits arrives, we post insurance payments and note patient responsibility.

• Denial Management and Appeals: Transcure monitors all submitted claims. If a claim is denied or underpaid, their team analyzes the cause, corrects any errors, and files appeals with documentation. 

• Patient Billing and Accounts Receivable (A/R) Follow-Up: Our best dental billing company generates patient statements and handles any patient billing inquiries. For outstanding insurance claims, we follow up at regular intervals until payers remit. 

• Reporting and Analytics: Clients receive transparent reports on collections, clean claim rates, and more from our dental billing consultants. Transcure also reviews trends and recommends improvements in coding, fees, or workflows to boost revenue.

Why Choose Transcure Dental Billing Services Over Others?

Transcure stands out in several key ways:

• We handle every aspect of RCM (credentialing through collections) in-house. You won’t need multiple vendors, as Transcure even assists with every step. 

• Using HIPAA-compliant software, experts at Transcure integrate with leading dental practice systems.

• Clients get easy access to detailed dashboards and regular reports, so they always know the status of claims and collections.

• Whether you’re a solo dentist or a multi-location group, Transcure scales to your needs, as we have experience in all specialties. 

• We claim up to 25% in practice cost savings on billing operations. You pay only for services used, without hiring and training in-house staff.

• Transcure offers a complimentary billing audit, so our dental billing experts will review your current RCM at no charge and show you how to improve collection. 

These advantages make Transcure a trusted dental billing consultant and partner. Their track record of accuracy and personalized support gives practices confidence that their revenue cycle is in expert hands.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Dental Billing Company

Before signing up with any billing service, interview them carefully. Key questions include:

Question 1. What is your specific experience with dental billing, and how long have you been serving dental practices?

You want a partner that specializes in dental billing, not just general medical billing. Ask about their years in dentistry and any relevant certifications.

Question 2. Which dental specialties do you have experience supporting, and can you handle specialty-specific coding?

If your practice offers orthodontics, oral surgery, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, or prosthodontics, be sure the company has experience coding and billing for those specialties. Ask for examples of specialty claims they’ve processed and how they stay up to date with niche billing requirements. 

Question 3. Do you provide end-to-end billing services in-house, or do you outsource certain functions?

Clarify exactly what they handle: Are coding, eligibility checks, claim submission, A/R follow-up, patient statements, and appeals all included? Verify there are no hidden fees for “extra” services you’ll need.

Question 4. What reporting and billing performance metrics will you provide, and how often?

Understanding your financial health requires access to real-time, detailed data. Ask whether they provide reports on key indicators like:

• Clean claims rate
• Days in Accounts Receivable (A/R)
• Claim denial and appeal rates
• Monthly collections and outstanding balances
• Insurance vs. patient payment breakdowns

Request a sample report to evaluate its clarity and usefulness. The best dental billing consultants will offer custom dashboards and strategic insights, not just raw numbers.

Question 5. How is communication handled between your team and my practice?

Find out if you’ll have a dedicated account manager or team. Ask how often they’ll meet or report to you. Regular updates (weekly or monthly) and easy contact channels are essential.

Question 6. Can you provide references, client testimonials, or case studies from other dental practices?

Hearing from current or former clients can give you honest insight into the company’s performance. Request references from practices similar to yours in size or specialty. Look for online reviews or case studies that show improvements in collection rates. 

Question 7. What is your pricing model, and what’s included in the cost?

Get a full breakdown of how they charge:

• Percentage of collections
• Flat monthly fee
• Per claim or per patient rate

Clarify what services are included in the base rate and what might cost extra. Also, ask about contract terms: Are there onboarding fees? Termination clauses? A reliable dental billing service provider should offer transparent pricing aligned with your growth goals.

Asking these questions helps you gauge expertise and reliability. The right answers will point to a dental billing company that truly aligns with your practice’s goals and standards.

Conclusion

As we summarize, a streamlined billing operation is vital to a dental practice’s financial health. By recognizing the warning signs and demanding full-spectrum services, your practice can maximize collections and reduce headaches. Teaming up with knowledgeable dental billing experts lets you reclaim time and revenue.

If you’re ready to improve your practice’s revenue cycle, contact Transcure’s team today. Our dental billing experts offer a free consultation and audit to show exactly how much more you could collect. Let Transcure handle your dental billing services, so you can focus on providing exceptional patient care.

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