An insightful and informative newsletter from the Art of Practice Management. A dental practice management consulting company that focuses on revenue and collection systems, front desk systems and forms, dental insurance processing, medical/dental cross-coding systems and employment-law compliance.

1. Together we will create a practice Masterpiece
Articles
A Most Effective Communication Tool
Marianne Harper
Communication issues – do you experience them? Is there a
chasm between clinical and business office? Many doctors and
staff members over the years have communicated that to me. I
have one solution that can minimize this problem – encounter
SPECIAL OFFER
forms.
20% OFF Some practices may refer to encounter forms as route slips, charge slips, or care slips.
on all No matter the name, these forms provide a way for the doctor, clinical staff and
business office staff to have a clear picture of what has transpired at each patient's
ENCOUNTER appointment along with important patient information. You may ask how to begin using
FORMS these forms. The easiest answer is to make use of what your practice management
Encounter forms are software provides. If you are not sure whether you can print encounter forms from your
an invaluable tool
software, give the support line a call and ask. They can tell you where to access these
to use in dental
practices that have forms and the best method for printing them. If not, you may consider creating your
implemented a own form.
dental-medical
A good encounter form should provide the following information:
cross coding system
 Patient demographic information
Order before  Medical alerts
March 15, 2013  Patient insurance information
 Patient account balance
 Special notes
 Procedure information – encounter forms for recare appointments should
provide the different possible codes that you set up in the software that apply
to recare appointments. For operative appointments, the system should
provide the procedure codes that were entered into the patient’s treatment
Download your FREE plan (treatment plans are an essentially important tool for practice
Hygiene Department management – a topic for another newsletter).
Analysis  A place to indicate next visit information
 A place to indicate any additional information
The beauty of these forms is that there is no question about what procedures were
performed. Checkout goes more smoothly because all codes are listed and can be
entered in the software ledger for the patient and the insurance claims will be correct.
In addition, these forms aid in ensuring that data entry is correct at the end of the
day. Each patient’s procedure totals can be written on the form and all should be
totaled at the end of the day and then compared with the end of day reports to be
certain that production is in balance for the day.
I realize that practices are transitioning to being paperless but I still encourage the
use of these forms. I have seen that medical practices that are paperless are still
using these paper forms due to the communication benefits that they provide.

2. Medical Cross Coding and Encounter Forms
All of the benefits outlined above also apply to encounter forms for cross coded
claims. However, dental practice management software does not commonly provide
10% OFF SALE! the ones that are needed for cross coding. The best encounter forms for cross
Every Product in our coding are similar to the ones that you see being used at your medical provider’s
Store practice. These are usually large sheets with lots of codes on them, both diagnosis
and procedure codes as is required with medical claims. I offer a number of different
types of cross coding encounter forms on my website,
http://artofpracticemanagement.com. The different types are listed below:
 General
 Perio and implant
until March 15th at  Trauma
PerioAndBeyond.  TMD
 Sleep apnea
 Pediatric
 Endodontic
There are many codes that must appear on these forms because both diagnosis and
procedure codes are necessary, so the form must address the many possibilities.
These forms can be printed on one large sheet as you see in many medical
providers’ practices or they can be printed on one 8 ½” X 11” sheet but printed on
both sides, or it can be printed as a two page form.
Correct diagnosis coding is crucial to successful cross coded claims. These forms
make it simpler for the dentist to see the different diagnosis codes that are available
and choose accordingly. Business office staff should not be responsible for choosing
diagnosis codes unless they have had the training to do so. These forms provide a
way for the dentist to circle or check the appropriate diagnosis and procedure codes,
thereby ensuring correct charges and insurance claims.
Take my advice – increase efficiency in your practice through the use of encounter
forms. Click the link below to access the forms for cross coding and they can be
downloaded directly to you. Take advantage of my special offer on these forms, too.
Order Your Encounter Forms Now!
The Speed Limit
Colleen Rutledge, RDH
Kids instinctively know certain things. Take my daughter, Danielle, for instance. She
knows approximately how fast I’m driving. She observes her surroundings; the wind
blowing a little harder on her face, the houses moving at a faster rate. This usually
prompts her to ask me: “Mommy, are you going the “speed limit”? This comment got
me thinking about the various comments made by patients, co-workers, and
employers regarding the “speed” of a hygiene appointment.
Patients: “My hygienist is great! She gets me in and out of here fast!”
Dentists/Employers: “My hygienist never falls behind schedule.”
Co-workers: “I love our hygienist because we always get out on time.”
Hygienists: “My patients love me because I never make them wait.”
Consider the above accolades; do they reflect reality or an illusion?
The Illusion
Many dental offices are still practicing with antiquated hygiene department protocols.
Long gone are the days when a “cleaning” took thirty minutes. Limited hand scaling,
a quick polish and four bitewings are no longer acceptable standards. Providing a
high quality preventive care visit entails a comprehensive approach which requires

3. more time.
The Reality
Clinical data is necessary to appropriately access a patient and requires time.
Services ranging from gathering a thorough medical history and risk assessment to a
six-point periodontal charting are the fundamentals of a high-quality hygiene visit.
Time is necessary for all too often disregarded topics including smoking cessation,
bruxism, oral cancer screening, oral hygiene instruction, sleep apnea and nutritional
counseling.
How much time
You may be thinking: “How much time should I give my hygienist?” The answer is
different for each office, but can be generalized with these guidelines:
New adult patient: One hour twenty minutes
Adult recare: One hour
Periodontal maintenance: One hour
New child patient: Forty minutes
Child patient: Thirty minutes
We have an ethical and moral obligation to provide high-quality hygiene services to
the people entrusted to our care. Start by giving your hygiene department the proper
amount of time to provide these services. It not only increases productivity but will
provide optimal care and increase referrals.
10% OFF SALE on every product in our store until March 15, 2013!
Please visit www.PerioAndBeyond.com for more information.
Insurance Alert
Dental – Are you using Box 35 of the dental claim form effectively? This is a great
place to enter your narrative information. However, keep in mind that the insurance
carrier’s scanners limit the number of characters that they will scan in that box and if
the box is completely filled in, it will not be completely scanned. So be concise and
provide only the pertinent details. Anything longer should be submitted as an
attachment.
Medical – Box 19 of the CMS1500 claim form (medical claim form) can be used in
the same way with the same requirements to be concise.
Time Line
Update Time is Past Due –
Medical Codes and Dental Codes for 2013
And your updated medical coding manual contains the new CDT
codes also
CPT Code (medical procedure code set) will update as of January 1, 2013.
Purchasers of "CrossWalking – A Guide Through the CrossWalk of Dental to
Medical Coding" and/or the "Quick Look Up Cross Code List" – you should have
received an email that provides information on the way to order the update. Medical
insurance carriers will not accept outdated codes and will deny claims for that
reason. I am offering a less expensive update to the paper manual this year in an
electronic format. So take advantage of the savings and keep your codes up to
date.
Click Here to Update Now!

4. CDT Code Update – Past Due – The ADA has announced that CDT codes will
update on January 1st of every year. If you haven't already purchased your 2013
code set, now is the time. I recommend Dr. Charles Blair's "Coding with Confidence."
It is the best source for all the detail that you need to understand the CDT codes. In
addition, consider a subscription to "Insurance Solutions Newsletter." Not only will
you receive a newsletter packed full of great coding information but the subscription
also includes a coding support service. You can't go wrong with that kind of help. To
order either or both of these, please click here.
September 23, 2013 – HIPAA Omnibus Final Rule – The updates to this rule were
published on January 25, 2013. The compliance date is September 23, 2013.
October 1, 2014 – The new date for ICD-10 implementation.
Favorite Quotes:
"The single biggest problem with communication is the illusion that it has taken
place."
George Bernard Shaw
Tips – For our Patients:
Dish up some pineapple – for your health
"Pineapple is high in manganese, a mineral that is critical to development of strong
bones and connective tissue. A cup of fresh pineapple will give you nearly 75% of
the recommended daily amount. It is particularly helpful to older adults, whose bones
tend to become brittle with age. Regular ingestion of at least one half cup of fresh
pineapple daily is purported to relieve painful joints common to osteoarthritis. It also
produces mild pain relief. Those individuals who eat fresh pineapple daily report
fewer sinus problems related to allergies. In and of itself, pineapple has a very low
risk for allergies. Pineapple is also known to discourage blood clot development.
This makes it a valuable dietary addition for frequent fliers and others who may be at
risk for blood clots."
From email – author unknown
Points of Interest:
Next month you may be celebrating St. Patrick's day. Irish lore is
interesting and we often hear about leprechauns. A leprechaun was
considered to be a small and mischievous sprite who could reveal the
hiding place of a treasure to those who could catch him. The origin of the
term comes from the Old Irish luchorpan. This term is broken down into
"lu" for small and "corp" for body. I may try to find one of these
leprechauns and get my treasure.
Is there someone you think would be interested in this newsletter?
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5. The Art of Practice Management
2217 Fox Horn Road • New Bern, NC 28562 • Phone: 1-252-637-6259
www.artofpracticemanagement.com • a.p.m.1@suddenlink.net
Perio-Therapeutics & Beyond
724 Fitzwatertown Road • Glenside, PA 19038 • Phone: 267-241-5833
www.perioandbeyond.com • colleen@perioandbeyond.com
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About us | Privacy policy | © Copyright 2013 - Marianne Harper
The contents of this publication reflect the opinion of the authors only. This publication is for informational purposes only.
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