The Biggest Lies in Dentistry
Some are lies we were told. Some are lies we tell ourselves.
Every profession has things it repeats to itself over and over until they start sounding like unchangeable facts. Dentistry has more than its share.
Some of it came from people with a reason to say it. Insurance companies certainly had one (or a hundred). Some of it came from consultants with no vested interest, just bad advice delivered with tremendous confidence.
Dental school? Four years of clinical training, almost nothing about running the business you're about to own. What advice you did get often came from a professor who was an excellent dentist and had never run a practice.
And some lies we tell ourselves, because the alternative means changing something uncomfortable.
This series takes these on one at a time, and each post works the same way. What the lie is. Then the truth. And most importantly, what to do about it. Monday morning.
Lie #1: I Have Dental “Insurance”
Patients say it every day, and they're repeating something we taught them. Dental insurance was never insurance, and the confusion costs practices case acceptance.
Lie #2: I Need a Preauthorization
It doesn't "authorize" treatment, and says right on the form that it isn't a guarantee of payment. What it does do? Reliably add two weeks to the treatment acceptance process.
Lie #3: Insurance Companies Have All the Power
They don't. They just know the rules better than you do. Nobody has time to chase a thirty-seven dollar underpayment. That's exactly what they're counting on.
See If We Can Help
Most of these lies end the same way: a practice collecting less than it should. If any of this sounds familiar, talk to one of our billing specialists and find out whether we can help. You'll get a straight answer, including if the answer is no.