Expert Coding Tools Can Multiply Your Claims Returns
Practice Booster is an online toolbox that offers up-to-date dental codes and resources which can ensure practices maximize legitimate insurance reimbursements
It’s a scenario that happens daily: Your billing department submits a claim with an inaccurate or expired code. The result? You won’t be reimbursed correctly for the services you provided. The fact is that codes, when used correctly, can lead to maximum reimbursements— money which you are rightfully owed. But when the correct code is missing, so is your reimbursement.
That’s where eAssist Dental Solutions can help. A leading provider of dental office support services, eAssist recently acquired Practice Booster, an online platform packed with dental coding tools, an administration guide, medical dental cross coding, reference materials, and resources. Practice Booster was founded by Charles Blair, DDS, whose annual dental coding reference manuals are regarded as the gold standard in dental coding.
“I had been practicing dentistry for many years and realized there was a great need for fee data and coding,” Dr. Blair explained. “There are about 800 codes and the average dentist uses about 90 codes. We’ve found that probably 90% of a practice’s income results from just 20 codes, which means you’d better know your codes!”
“For certain situations, there may be more than one code that can be used, and we’re able to point out which one of them will have the better reimbursement.”
- Charles Blair, DDS
Deciphering 100s Of Insurance Codes
Dr. Blair put pen to paper and published his first reference book, Coding With Confidence, in 2006. A few years later, he launched Practice Booster, an online platform offering dental professionals a host of informative tools and resources about dental coding. Seeing that “coding was just one piece of the puzzle,” and that insurance administration and the complexity of dental/medical cross-coding were also not being addressed, he later published Administration With Confidence and Medical Dental Cross-Coding With Confidence. Two additional books, Dental Documentation With Confidence and Dental Technology With Confidence will be available later this year. All the reference manuals, as well as Practice Booster, are continually updated to reflect the most up-to-date information. Additionally, keep an eye out for the new Practice Booster eBook platform that’s set to go live this fall.
“For certain situations, there may be more than one code that can be used, and we’re able to point out which one of them will have the better reimbursement,” Dr. Blair explained.
“The important thing to realize is that codes change every year.”
—Greg Grobmyer, DDS
Approaching the age of 80, Dr. Blair is seeing firsthand how the dental billing industry has increased ten-fold since publishing Coding With Confidence over a decade and a half ago. He is excited to be part of eAssist Dental Solutions, the nation’s leading dental billing platform, and is still actively working to help ensure dental practices maximize legitimate dental reimbursement.
“I think partnering with eAssist means we’ll be able to provide additional resources now that we have their backing and a sales force of over 1,000 that can increase awareness of Practice Booster and drive sales,” he said. “Working with eAssist will allow Practice Booster to grow, both in audience and capabilities,” he continued.
One Source For Everything Code-Related
The growth is evident in the vast collection of resources now available at practicebooster.com. “The Practice Booster website offers a membership service,” said Greg Grobmyer, DDS, who is the editor of Coding With Confidence and editor-in-chief of Practice Booster’s bi-monthly, 16-page Insurance Solutions Newsletter. “Members can access the online Code Advisor, which provides in-depth information on Current Dental Terminology (CDT) coding that can be found by simply typing in keywords. A Practice Booster membership also includes helpful tips, strategies for using one code over another, and narratives about what you should and shouldn’t do—all designed to help you use the best codes for maximum reimbursement,” he continued.
Also included in the membership is a subscription to the Insurance Solutions Newsletter and resources such as sample form letters and flow charts. Freely available on the website are the Store, where books and products may be purchased, information about upcoming events, on-demand CE content, a blog, and a podcast hosted by both Dr. Grobmyer and Dr. Blair.
“The important thing to realize is that codes change every year. In fact, we’re on track to have 38 code changes for 2023, and a significant materials definition change, too,” Dr. Grobmyer explained. “If dental offices are not aware of these changes and aren’t using updated codes, they’re not being reimbursed properly for their services.”
