Alaska  |  Summer 2016
Why complete chart notes are important
Effective January 1, 2016, Delta Dental of Alaska changed its policy to no longer accept written narratives in place of complete chart notes.
 
Chart notes serve as the legal document that should record all diagnostic information, clinical notes, justification for treatment, treatment performed and patient related communications. They should include:
 
  • Medical and dental history
  • Progress and treatment notes
  • Conversations about the treatment needed
  • Any instructions for home care and consent to treatment
 
Complete and accurate records should be legible and contain enough information to allow another provider who has no prior knowledge of the patient to fully understand the patient's dental experience with your office. In practices where there is more than one dentist, the identity of the dentist rendering the treatment should be clearly noted in the chart notes.
 
It is not necessary to send the entire chart notes, only the requested information that is pertinent to the treatment review. If the procedure code is on the 100 percent review list, you may send the requested information with the initial submission of the claim. To view this list, you may access your Dentist Handbook.
Attract new patients when you become a PPO provider!

Increasing your visibility with new patients has never been easier! Become a Delta Dental Preferred Provider Option (PPO) dentist today and you'll automatically be listed on Delta Dental of Alaska's online directory of participating in-network PPO providers.
 
With Delta Dental PPO plans now more prevalent in the Alaska marketplace, this is your chance to help patients make the most of their dental benefits and reduce their costs. At Delta Dental of Alaska, PPO members are encouraged to use their benefits and seek treatment with one of our participating in-network PPO dentists.
 
What does this mean for your dental practice? Check out the benefits of being a Delta Dental PPO provider:

1.  Attract new patients
Become a dental home for newly enrolled Delta Dental PPO members to help them establish preventive habits that will improve their overall health.

2.  Increase your visibility
Delta Dental PPO members are encouraged to visit Delta Dental participating PPO dentists to maximize their benefits. PPO dentists are automatically listed in our online directory where PPO members are directed to search for a PPO in-network dentist near them.

3.  Ease your administration process
There is one competitive fee schedule for all Delta Dental PPO members, making it easy to process dental claims for PPO patients.

Join today!
To review our current fee schedule, please call Dental Professional Relations toll-free at 888-374-8905 or email dpr@modahealth.com.
Advocate for early childhood dental screenings

The American Dental Association, Academy of Pediatric Dentistry and the American Academy of Pediatrics all advocate for a child to have his or her first visit within six months of the first tooth, or by age one. First dental visits provide a great opportunity for you to establish rapport and trust with the caregiver and child. It's a perfect time to educate the caregiver on the benefits of preventive oral health, nutrition and home care. It's also important to perform a knee-to-knee exam, caries risk assessment, and discuss caries prevention and fluoride interventions, as appropriate.
 
But performing an exam on a one year old is no small task. There are many online resources for how to accomplish this. If you're looking for hands-on instruction for you and your office staff, the Oregon Oral Health Coalition provides just what you're looking for through their First Tooth Training program. Please visit the OROHC website for more information.
 
Other helpful online resources include:
Updated payment schedules

In February 2016, Delta Dental of Alaska updated the frequency of some of our payment schedules to help keep administrative costs down. However, we will continue to issue payment for most of our employer groups on a weekly basis. Payment for most of our smaller groups and individual insureds will now be issued twice a month. 

Help your patients better understand their treatment and costs

Today's dental consumers are much more engaged in their healthcare. This means they want to know the cost of their treatment beforehand. You can help your patients understand the services they need and the associated costs for those treatments through Benefit Tracker.
 
Using Benefit Tracker, you can see the benefit percent for the service and tell your patients in advance their estimated out-of-pocket costs. Don't forget to take into account any deductible, frequencies or limitations, which are all available on Benefit Tracker. You may also check the status of your claims and file your fees.
 
To learn more about Benefit Tracker or set up an account, please contact our Dental Professional Relations team toll-free at 888-374-8905.
 
We thank you for partnering with us to help provide quality care for your patients.

Provider Handbook
Dentist Handbook (PDF)
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