“THE TECHNOLOGY YOU USE IMPRESSES NO ONE. THE EXPERIENCE YOU CREATE WITH IT IS EVERYTHING.” – SEAN GERETY

In a busy world, using digital technology in the office can increase productivity and efficiency, and streamline every appointment to get patients in and out quickly. Here is the fifth and final way you can integrate technology into your practice:

Teledentistry and Hybrid Care

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the need and desire for telehealth services has increased rapidly, including within the dental industry. Since teledentistry is still relatively new to many providers, make sure the service is well planned out and all employees are trained on the flow of virtual visits. Before launching virtual visits, have these steps in place:

• Contact Your Malpractice Insurance: Ensure your plan will cover teledentistry.
• Plan What Types of  Appointments Should be Accessible Through Teledentistry: Providers in most cases do not see new patients virtually. Most providers see existing patients in cases of emergencies or clinical consultations.
• Add Teledentistry Appointment to Your Practice Management Software: Add space for these types of appointments to your block schedule. Consider placing blocks in harder-to-fill slots (10 AM-2 PM) when children are out of school and then having one block in the morning and one block in the afternoon when children are in school to provide flexibility for families.
• Market This Service to Your Patients: Send an update in your practice newsletter, post on social media, or send out an email/text blast to patients about this service. When notifying families, include steps on how to reserve a teledentistry appointment.
• Decide How to Access Virtual Visits: Check your patient communication software to see if they offer services for teledentistry, such as accessing patient records and secure video portals. This will help keep communication efficient and streamlined.
• Contact All Payers: Check to see how teledentistry appointments will be reimbursed. Some payers only reimbursed these codes during the pandemic. Also ask payers about teledentistry reimbursement for virtual visits that cross state lines, as some states do not allow this.
• Bill Virtual Visits Properly: According to the ADA’s coding guidelines for teledentistry visits, you should report one of two teledentistry codes, as well as other procedures, such as a limited exam, re-evaluation, post-operative visit, or dental case management. One code should be billed for the live virtual interaction, and the other should be billed when the dentist evaluates the conditions out side of the live interaction.

Not sure how to update technology in your office? LCP Dental Team Coaching would love to help! Click here and one of our team members would be happy to set you up with a 30-minute complimentary call!