Is it that day of the week again? Is it really time for the insurance aging calls? Ugh! If only these calls didn't have to take up all my afternoon. Could there be an easier and more effective way to track down insurance claims? There is and let me help you reach that goal. Here are four easy tricks to save your time and sanity, as well as to collect more.

Gather your data

Ashley Bond is the founder of Bond Dental Consultants.

Many of us use a clearinghouse to electronically submit insurance claims. Gone are the days of printing and mailing off our submissions (thank goodness). Not only is this much faster, but it gives us very important tracking information for calling on outstanding claims. Each time you send a claim electronically, it gives you the date and time stamp that it was accepted by the carrier. This information is vital when calling on overdue claims. When the agent says the claim is not on file, simply give him or her the date and time the "Carrier Acknowledges Receipt of Claim," along with the corresponding claim number.

Is the agent stating that an attachment wasn't received? Have the NEA number ready. This usually solves most of the issues when a claim is "not on file." Even before you call, by doing this step first, you may see that the claim was rejected for the wrong subscriber information, an incorrect payer identification, or an invalid code. You may also find the attachment was rejected because the carrier does not accept electronic attachments. Save your precious minutes that you would have been on hold and check your submission data first.

Insurance portals and multitasking

Spend the extra time creating insurance logins for all the major insurance companies that you bill. While this is front-loaded work, it saves the hours of time that you will spend on hold calling on one insurance claim. Save all your insurance login information on an Excel sheet and update as password changes are needed. If you want to save time, email me at [email protected] for a free example Excel sheet to utilize for your office.

What about when you must call? As we all know, you can be on hold for five minutes and up to an hour in some cases. Make sure you have another task you can complete during this time. Can you check other claims on the portals? Can you send letters to your new patients, overdue accounts, or recare? Partner your on-hold time with other weekly activities where you do not need a phone. Get double the work done in the same amount of time.

Notes, notes, and notes

Most dental software systems have a note section to keep all your claim status notes updated. This spot is your best friend! If you are like me, with all the conversations you are having during the day, it is impossible to remember every little thing a representative said about every patient's claim.

This is where notes are so important. Track everything, including what the representative said, where the resubmission needs to be faxed/mailed, the representative's name, a reference number, and your initials. If you utilize SoftDent, which doesn't have a notes section, that is where Excel or Google Sheets will come in handy.

Detailed notes get you very far the next time you must call on a claim. Don't make double work for yourself; notate it the first time.

The next time you print your insurance aging report, make sure you print your claim status notes. Keep it all in one place!

If your software does not have a note section, reach out to me for my free outstanding insurance claim tracking form.

Change in attitude

We all know that calling insurance companies can be a pain. This is where your mindset really matters. Stop thinking of it as a nuisance and start looking at it as a game. It is you versus the insurance company. Who is going to win? Can you collect 100% of what is rightfully yours? Go into it to win!

Don't forget that it is a friendly competition. We have all heard the saying "You catch more flies with honey than vinegar" and this is true in the insurance game as well. While it is tempting to go into each call with guns blazing, most of the time I have found that a kind but assertive attitude generates the best results. Go into it to win, but to win with your head held high.

Calling insurance companies no longer has to be the bane of your existence. Get a solid game plan together and go in for the win! Collect 100% of what is rightfully yours 100% of the time.

Do you need more tips and training to collect 100% of what is rightfully yours? Check out my website ​or send me a message for the free tools I discussed above.

Ashley Bond is the founder of Bond Dental Consultants, a company that specializes in helping practices collect 100% of what is rightfully theirs. She has more than 10 years of experience in the dental field beginning at her father's dental practice, where she saw the ins and outs of everything the business entails.

The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.