How To Decrease Coding Errors In Your Dental Practice

Coding errors can cause trouble for your dental practice in many different ways. For example, coding errors can result in problems as small as denied or delayed payment, or as large as fines, losing your dental license, or even heading to jail.

It’s important for you as a dentist to know that, no matter who made the coding error, you are the one who will be held legally responsible for any errors. You need to make sure that each claim that leaves your practice is completely factual and accurate.

Preventing Errors In Coding

You will be held responsible even for coding errors that are a mistake. Because of this, it’s important to make sure your practice is error-proof when it comes to coding. Below are a few tips:

• Conduct Analysis Reports – Conducting an analysis report is a quick and simple way to locate any coding errors. We recommend deactivating any codes in your software that your practice doesn’t ever use. There are around six hundred codes available, but the average practice only uses around one hundred of them.
• Know The Codes – We encourage you and your staff to attend coding classes. They likely won’t be required for your boards, but they will go a long way towards helping you and your staff to avoid making any coding mistakes.
• Open The Lines Of Communication – Lastly, it’s important that you have a system of communication in place to avoid making coding errors. Sometimes the best communication tool is the patient’s chart, which is why this is such an important habit to keep.

Proper and correct coding practices can prevent you from facing legal trouble and can also increase the income you see in your dental office. If you have any further questions about coding or about how to keep your dental practice running successfully, please don’t hesitate to contact CTC National, a nation dental consulting firm, to speak to one of our dental consultants.