Archive for September, 2009
Insurance Coverage
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Insurance Coverage Changes
by Flo Janes
If you have ever had an insurance claim rejected due to the relationship not matching the carrier records, we have an easy fix for you!
You don’t have to start from scratch if you have accidentally posted a patient’s relationship as “self” and need to change it to “spouse, ” or if you have posted incorrect information on the coverage change and need to updateit. All you have to do is override the information on the existing coverage.
When you are updating coverage, hit the Search Key (F6) on the date field, find the coverage change date that you want to override, and SELECT. Go to the section that you want to change and enter the correct information.
Hit ESC/EXIT and post this to the patient’s ledger. This will override the old entry and replace it with the corrected information.
When billing an insurance form, the current coverage is used as the default coverage for billing purposes. If you want to bill procedures from a previous coverage period, all you have to do is hit the Search Key (F6) before you choose the carrier, then type in the date of service or the date the coverage began for that transaction. The system will then pull the insurance information that was active for that date.
You DO NOT want to search to find the last coverage date if you are making a new coverage update. This is only for editing existing coverage. However, searching will show you their existing coverage so you will know when to start your new coverage. We do not recommend using the first of the year unless your patient is seen on or around that date. Coverage dates should be the first billable visit date of new transactions, not when the patient’s coverage began.
You don’t want to back date coverage to prior years unless it is truly needed for billing purposes. Often times we see patients whose first visit was in 2009, yet their coverage change was posted as 1998 (their start date of coverage). You don’t need to use the date their coverage began, only the date that will be their first billable service.
Dental Web Design
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
PBHS Alliance
by Duane de Long
Datacon is very pleased to announce a business partnership with another Santa Rosa company that has a myriad of exciting products for the dental community. PBHS was established in 1996 and has offices in Santa Rosa and Pomona, New York.
PBHS offers dental website design and hosting, web-based informed consent, and audio/video explanations of diagnosis and treatment.
Their “True Form Assist” feature allows patients a secure method to register and fill out forms online. This is particularly beneficial for specialists who see a high volume of first-time patients.
“True Form Assist” allows a practice to have the patient’s information well before the first visit AND eliminates the need for the office staff to re-enter all of this information into your Datacon system, thereby saving hours of data entry every week.
Note: This integration is currently being developed by Datacon and we hope to make it available by the CDA meeting in this month.
To see more offerings from PBHS, please check out their website at
Offsite Backup
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Offsite Backup Service
by Duane de Long
We have received several inquiries regarding offsite backup services, particularly for those of you using digital imaging systems.
We are pleased to announce that we are now partnering with Data Deposit Box, a major offsite backup service provider. This additional security for your system data is available for a very reasonable monthly rate of $2 per GB.
This service is available for clients with Mac servers, as well as for PC peer servers storing digital xrays. (Or any workstation that you would like files backed up from!)
Offsite backup is not an option for Alpha Micro servers. For clients utilizing a Mac Pro server for their Datacon system and digital imaging software, all data will automatically be backed up daily and stored offsite.
Please give Jay de Long a call if this service is of interest to you.
Claris Intraoral Camera
Thursday, September 3rd, 2009
Claris i310D Intra Oral Camera
by Duane de Long
SOTA Precision Optics, Inc. has been the provider for some of the best selling and award winning intraoral cameras for over a decade. The Claris i310D integrates the intraoral camera with state of the art Sony CCD (Charged Couple Device), and microchip technology.
The direct plug-in USB eliminates the need for a docking station. All of this at a very affordable price. Portability plays an essential role in dental operatories so the detachable hand piece weighing in at only 2.4 oz gives users a comforting experience when having to move around from room to room. There is no capture card or additional hardware needed to seamlessly connect to any PC.
Stop by our booth at the September CDA in San Francisco and test drive the award winning intraoral camera from SOTA Optical.
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