Figuring out the complexities of insurance coverage can be a daunting prospect, and that’s where a skilled Orthodontic Insurance Coordinator steps in to help.
An insurance coordinator does everything from walking patients through their insurance benefits and helping them over financial hurdles, to communicating with insurance companies when it comes to filing claims.
Key Responsibilities of an Insurance Coordinator
Here’s everything insurance coordinators do to make your life easier when it comes to paying for braces and more:
1. Maintain and Update Patient Information
This part of the job seems tedious, but is vital for ensuring timely processing of claims and helps to make sure that treatment can move forward. This includes other financial information for covering any gaps in your insurance plans.
2. Navigate Different Insurance Plans
The insurance coordinator works with all types of insurance companies and plans, and they know the pros and cons of each, and can help you find the benefits.
3. Understand Current Dental Terminology Codes
Orthodontists, dentists and hygienists use different CDT codes to efficiently record diagnoses and treatments, and insurance coordinators use these to communicate with insurance companies.
4. Act as the Insurance “Interpreter”
Above all, orthodontic insurance coordinators are the experts in insurance at the office. They work with the appointment or treatment coordinator to facilitate billing and scheduling for care. Insurance coordinators also send requested information to insurance companies in order for them to make determinations on claims, and then they provide predeterminations to patients so that they can make informed care decisions.
How Do You Become an Insurance Coordinator?
When it comes to learning the ins and outs of insurance coordination, Trapezio offers the Academy of Insurance Coordinators, an online, self-paced educational program that is perfect for new and experienced insurance coordinators to further their training, as well as providing excellent support for cross-functional team members.
By the end of the lessons and through the completion of assessment tests, individuals will fully understand the different types of insurance plans offered and how to accept them at their practices, along with gaining an in-depth knowledge of orthodontic and dental benefit codes.
In Short…
Insurance coordinators are a vital part of any orthodontic practice, acting as the go-between for patients and insurance in making sure that patients get the care they need under their insurance plans.