Tuesday, December 4, 2018
In their latest Legal Cases column, William S. Spiegel and Dr. Marc Leffler present a case in which a patient became disruptive and had to be removed from the dental office by the police after incomplete restorative work. Read on to learn how the case was resolved and what you can do to help your practice.
The need for healthcare professionals is expected to grow as the U.S. population ages, so researchers explored the current field of U.S. health professions, including dentistry, and how country of origin and citizen status vary among them. Almost a quarter of U.S. dentists were born in other countries, they reported in a new research letter published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Navigate reimbursements with CDT 2019
Why are CDT codes so important to dentists and their teams?
They help you get reimbursed quickly and accurately document your services. They also help you avoid rejected claims. The new CDT 2019 manual from the ADA includes code sets to address three top-of-mind concerns for dental professionals today:
- Delivery of non-opioid drugs for pain management
- Use of translation services
- Measuring and documenting glucose levels just prior to a procedure
In addition, it includes 15 new codes, five revised codes and four deleted codes to make sure you’re receiving the most up-to-date information possible.
How does the CDT Companion help me use the right codes?
It leads you to the right codes by providing examples, in addition to over 100 tricky coding scenarios to help you figure out which ones apply to the services you’re providing.
For example, do you know the different implant codes to use with vs. without an abutment? In this instance, you have a patient who needs a custom abutment. How do you code the custom abutment and placement?
D6057 custom abutment placed
The CDT Companion also includes 175 common coding Q&A, descriptions of new CDT codes and revisions, and a section on ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes.
How can I access the codes when I’m on the go?
The CDT Code Check App is a handy way to quickly search for the codes you need to document your services and receive your reimbursements.
What is an example of a tricky scenario that I may face?
Let’s say you order a consultation with an oral and maxillofacial surgeon for one of your patients. The patient, a 19-year-old female, presents for evaluation and treatment of a dentigerous cyst, associated with an impacted supernumerary tooth in the area of No. 20, displaced inferiorly and is encroaching on the left mental foramen. After examination, you determine that total removal of the supernumerary tooth risks injury to the inferior alveolar nerve. What procedure codes would be used to document the services delivered today and planned for a future date?
For today’s consultation: D9310 consultation – diagnostic service provided by dentist or physician other than requesting dentist or physician. For the planned procedure: D7251 coronectomy – intentional partial tooth removal.
The CDT 2019 and Companion with Code Check App Kit (K219BTi) includes complete resources to improve your coding and your bottom line at the same time. If you’re ready to use this roadmap now, go to ADAcatalog.org or call 800-947-4746. Use promo code 18900 to save 20 percent on all ADA Catalog products.
~American Dental Association
This content is sponsored and does not necessarily reflect the views of ASDA.
A questionnaire originally developed for patients with lower back pain may be able to help distinguish between different types of orofacial pain. Researchers found that higher scores on the painDETECT screening questionnaire were able to help rule out pain that is musculoskeletal or dental in nature.Monday, December 3, 2018
Opioid prescriptions by dentists and oral surgeons may lead to a statistically significant increased risk of persistent opioid use and abuse for adolescents and young adults, according to a major new study in JAMA Internal Medicine on December 3.5 myths about owning your own practice
Is it your big dream to own a practice? Do you imagine what it would be like to run your own business? Maybe being an employee is just not for you. Here are some common misconceptions that students have about money when it comes to starting or buying a practice.
Myth No. 1: Private practice is out of reach. I might as well go corporate.
Do you shut down your dreams the moment reality sets in, and you do the math on what it would take to actually get a private practice off the ground? Well, not so fast. Corporate dentistry is a great place to gain experience, but if your dream is to have your own practice, there are resources available to you. There are practice management consultants, accountants, attorneys and financial advisers out there who specialize in helping dentists. Interview a couple of them to get some ideas.
Myth No. 2: I’ll need a lot of cash as a down payment.
This is simply not true. You need to have some cash — not necessarily to put down — but to show that you have savings in the bank. Some lenders will allow 100 percent financing, but they typically like to see personal savings in the range of 7–10 percent of the loan amount. They ask for this because it shows commitment on your part, and when you have skin in the game, chances of your success will be higher. It’s human nature to care more for the things in which you are personally invested.
Myth No. 3: No one will lend me money because I have so much debt.
Also not true. Many banks have special lending divisions for dentists and other health care professionals. They know your marketplace: that training is expensive and debt loads are high. What they also know is that your earning potential is high, particularly in the dental specialties. They are banking on your high cash flow to support your loan payments.
Myth No. 4: I need to pay off/pay down my student debt first.
Well, if you wait for that, you might be waiting quite a while (and forgoing your future in the process). Whether you will be able to afford your practice loans has a lot to do with your cash flow, which is impacted by your student loan payments. It’s all about monthly payments: The lower your monthly student loan payments, the more cash you have on hand, the higher the probability that you will be able to secure a practice loan. When you look at your student loan repayment options, you will want to pick one that will maximize your cash flow (which is why Income-Based Repayment [IBR] may make sense for some students) until you get your practice going, and then you may consider refinancing. Speak to a qualified financial professional about the kind of student loan repayment plan that best suits your situation.
Myth No. 5: I’ll make a lot of money starting Day One.
While dentistry can be lucrative, remember that you’re talking about starting a business. Every business has a ramp-up period, so you’ll need to be patient. If you are a general dentist starting from scratch, you will need to invest time and marketing to build up your practice. If you are a specialist, you will need to cultivate relationships that will yield referrals to your practice. If you are buying into an existing practice that comes with patients, and you borrow money to do so, you will need to make loan payments, which could easily reduce the revenue coming in. The key is to manage your expectations, be realistic and be disciplined about building a cash reserve to get you through the early days of running your own practice.
Practice ownership is possible. Don’t let fear and misinformation get in the way of realizing your dreams. Speak with qualified lending professionals, financial advisers and other guides to discover how it may work for you.
~Christian Pearson, SE Financial Services Professional/National Director of Dental Partnerships, Treloar & Heisel, Inc.
Treloar & Heisel, Treloar & Heisel Wealth Management, and Treloar & Heisel Risk Management are all divisions of Treloar & Heisel, Inc.
Investment Advice offered through WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor doing business as Treloar & Heisel Wealth Management. Treloar & Heisel Wealth Management is a separate entity from The Wealth Consulting Group and WCG Wealth Advisors, LLC.
Insurance products offered separately through Treloar & Heisel, Inc. Treloar & Heisel, Inc. and its divisions do not offer banking services or legal, lending, or business consulting advice.
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This content is sponsored and does not necessarily reflect the views of ASDA.
You probably didn't learn about debt management in dental school, but it's essential to your success. Mounting debt nipping at your heels will drain both your finances and your passion for dentistry. Set debt management goals early and tackle them often, advises Dr. Roger P. Levin in his latest Practices Success tip.
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