S3 Episode 5: No Guessing, Just Billing: Green Flag Standards in AR

In this episode of Inside Dentistry Support, CEO Sarah Beth Herman delves into the crucial roles of the billing and AR team within the dental revenue cycle. Emphasizing the importance of clear and proactive communication, she outlines 'red flag' behaviors to avoid, such as not updating tasks and leaving claims unresolved, which create financial uncertainty and break trust with dental offices. Conversely, she highlights 'green flag' behaviors that reflect the company's values of ownership, thoroughness, and clear communication, transforming the billing process into a partnership. Through detailed examples, Sarah provides actionable insights on how team members can cultivate trust and efficiency in their tasks, ensuring smooth operations and strong client relationships.

Transcript

   📍 Hey guys. Welcome back to Inside Dentistry Support. I'm your host and CEO, Sarah Beth Herman, and today I wanna talk about the heart of the dental revenue cycle, our billing and AR team. And that is you

if you are responsible for posting claims, chasing claims, resolving rejections, sending claims. Or helping offices get paid faster and cleaner. This episode is your mirror. I wanna talk about red flags to avoid and green flags to become, because billing here at dentistry support isn't just about numbers and it isn't just about tasks, it's about ownership.

And I want to help you understand what we look for in team members who model a red flag behavior or team members who model a green flag behavior. Now, every claim that you touch either builds or breaks trust with the dental office. I'm gonna say that one more time. Every claim you touch either builds or breaks trust with a dental office when you are vague.

When you're quiet or when you're slow, they feel it. When you're clear, when you're proactive and when you're reliable, they feel that too. So today's episode of Inside Dentistry Support is about how to own the billing and AR space, like the professional that I believe you are, and that is with green flag communication and task handling every step of the way.

Okay, so let's first talk about what we don't do here at Dentistry Support. We're gonna talk about red flag behaviors these are the habits that we refuse to normalize at dentistry support first, leaving tasks marked in progress for days without updates, not posting payments because of a missing EOB, but never asking for it.

Not posting payments or researching claims because we don't have access to a portal, and then not following up daily until we get access to that portal saying claims sent again without any notes or confirmation that it was sent again, and when our next follow up is not following up on denials, hoping it'll just resolve itself on its own.

Blaming insurance without looking for office errors or documentation gaps. Letting aged claims sit until the client asks red flags in dental billing and ar. They create financial uncertainty. They shake the confidence in the very work that we do and they are not welcome in our company. Let's flip the script for a moment.

Let's talk about green flag behaviors, the dentistry support way. Okay, this is where the magic happens. Green flags and billing and AR team members, they look something like this. Leaving detailed task notes with every update claim refiled to delta PPO via portal on July 1st. New EOB expected within 14 days.

Perfect. That is a fabulous update. Next, owning our own timelines. I will be researching this again on July 15th and escalated if it is still unpaid. Perfect communication problems and solutions. Claim denied due to missing. x-Ray. Reached out to the office requested an upload will refile within 24 hours.

Perfect. Clarifying unclear codes or procedures before guessing. Tracking patterns and notifying the office when they see recurring issues. Closing every loop. Payment posted, account adjusted task, complete green flag. Billers don't just chase claims, they resolve them with confidence. Let's talk about a real world scenario in comparison.

So a red flag example would be claim unpaid resubmitted. A green flag Example of this same scenario would be claim for June 5th for D four three. Four one denied due to missing perio chart, downloaded denial. Notify the office via teams at 2:14 PM awaiting chart to refile. Set reminder for July 3rd follow up.

Now that's not just billing what I just described. That's being a revenue partner. Tasks are a two-way street. So it's not just about what you deliver, it's how you receive. So a green flag receiver would confirm receipt and say, got it. I'm following up on Guardian claims today. I will post an update for you by 3:00 PM A green flag receiver would ask questions when the instructions are unclear.

A green flag receiver would let the office know when something isn't going as expected. They don't say noted and then vanish into thin air. They don't assume silence is okay. They communicate like professionals who are part of something bigger. Here is your culture reminder here at Dentistry Support. It.

Billing is where things either get loud or they stay smooth, and in our culture, we choose clarity. We choose thoroughness. We choose to own the mess and turn it into momentum. Every task you touch is a reflection of dentistry support, so make sure that it reflects our values. You don't have to know everything to be a green flag team member.

You just have to own your piece of the process. Keep the communication clear and move the ball forward. The offices we serve deserve it. And so do you. When a client doesn't have to ask where the claim is or what the status is, that's good. When your notes tell the story from start to finish, that's good.

And when you are billing and AR research work and completion of all tasks feels more like a partnership than a mystery. I. That is dentistry support. Good.  📍 I'll see you guys on the next episode.