Inaugural dental and medical insurance meeting to take place in Vegas

Insurance and billing are important components of any dental practice. Unfortunately, many dentists aren’t well-versed on these topics, which could lead to lost revenue for their practices or even legal issues.

In an effort to make dentists more comfortable with billing and diagnostic codes, Christine Taxin, founder and president of Links2Success, is presenting the “Dental and Medical Insurance Extravaganza for the Modern Dental Practice” Oct. 4-5 in Vegas.

Taxin, who has taught both dental and medical billing for the last seven years, says she was asked by the NYU College of Dentistry to introduce new codes and the various legal issues of billing to senior dental students. At the same time, Harvard University contacted her to discuss the changes they had made to their dental program, which now requires students to rotate for two years with medical. Add to this that she frequently receives calls and emails from patients across the country inquiring about billing their oral treatments to medical, and the idea for the conference was born.

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“After all of this, and the fact that there is no official training for one of the most critical areas of our practice, I decided to bring together the top people in our industry so that everyone can understand the effects of dental, medical and legal issues that surround how we receive payment,” she says. “The outcome of this meeting has several components, and it will depend on the dynamic of the office. To the best of my knowledge there has never been a meeting incorporating everything about insurance and billing.”

The two-day event will cover a range of topics, from code changes in 2019 to negotiating fees with insurance companies to how to avoid an insurance audit. Speakers will include Taxin, Dr. Lou Shuman, president and CEO of Cellerant Consulting Group, Teresa Duncan, an international speaker, and Ben Tuinei, president of Veritas Dental Resources, among others.

Taxin says one of the goals of the conference is to spread awareness of how to implement the oral-systemic connection in dental offices and understanding of how to bill both dental and medical if needed. Patient communication and treatment planning will also be discussed.

“Work with patients so they’re able to take our advice on treatment and not make it about the payment but to accept the treatment that they need. We do want to help them get maximum payment, so they can afford the best. An example is a diabetic who needs additional procedures to keep their sugar under control and we will help them get refunded if possible. Each office should understand the compliance coding and documentation,” Taxin says.

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Another aspect of the event will be for attendees to gain a better understanding of legal issues each state oversees within dental and medical practices as well as how dentists can connect with their state representatives to have dialogue on state laws that affect dental practices.

Taxin says she hopes attendees leave the event with greater knowledge of billing and running a business. She also hopes that states, the American Dental Association and other organizations will work with her to help update certification for all billing within oral physicians’ offices.

For more information on the event or to register, visit dentalmedicalbilling.com/events.