It’s a common scenario; the patient’s consult appointment is complete and now they’re sitting in the operatory, or standing at checkout – waiting for someone to tell them how much the procedure is going to cost. How much will insurance cover? What’s the all-important ‘out of pocket’ cost going to be? For many, the answer to that question will determine whether or not they are willing to proceed with the recommended treatment.
It’s a balancing act many OMS practices struggle with; the fee estimates need to be calculated quickly so the patient isn’t waiting – but it also needs to be accurate, so the patient has the correct information to base their decision on. If the practice fails in one or the other of these, the result is the same: one very unhappy patient.
Cross referencing practice fees, procedure codes, the multitude of insurance providers and numerous policies of each is complex, there’s no doubt about it. Throw in the odd courtesy discount and a patient who has maxed out one aspect of their insurance… it’s easy to see why accuracy and speed might be considered mutually exclusive. It is a tough job.
Wouldn’t it be great if there were a technology that took care of the calculation side of things, leaving your checkout team to focus on the things that they do best: looking after patients?
MaxilloSoft technology was designed to do just that.
Your patient’s actual out of pocket cost, just one tap away
We built Maxillosoft to save time, leaving Oral Surgeons and their teams more time to grow the practice and achieve a better work/life balance. One of the ways we do this is by automatically cross-referencing all of this data, calculating an accurate patient ‘out of pocket’ cost, and formatting it into a report that can be presented and signed on a tablet computer. Easy.
Our fees estimate process gathers critical information from the following places:
The entire treatment plan: Oral surgeries cover a wide range of procedure codes, enough to fill a typical three ring binder. The team almost certainly has the fees for the most common ones memorized, but what about the exceptions? And when the surgeon’s mother comes in for an implant, does she remember to tell checkout about the discount? MaxilloSoft takes all of this into account.
The patient’s insurance: Using our insurance verification module (covered in an upcoming blog post) you’ll be able to quickly and easily verify all aspects of the patient’s current policy. Maximums, deductibles, and percentages are all entered into MaxilloSoft, so it has all of the important information it needs to calculate the patient’s copay, instantly.
Practice fees: Your practice fee schedule is configured into MaxilloSoft. By taking your normal fees and cross-referencing with both the procedure codes and the patient’s (verified) insurance plan, the system outputs an accurate, professionally designed Treatment Plan and Fee Estimate document for your patient’s review and approval. This can be presented and signed chairside on an iPad or printed at checkout for them to take home.
The benefits of MaxilloSoft’s automated fee estimates
- More accurate: The team at checkout no longer needs to manually calculate the fees themselves while the patient is waiting. Less stress, and a complete explanation of the fee calculation is right at their fingertips. This provides reliable estimates and reduces the likelihood of human error.
- Faster: Because the team no longer has to calculate all the fees as your patient is checking out, the process is much quicker. This makes it possible for your administrators to spend more time with each patient to explain their benefits and leaves outgoing patients free to continue with the rest of their day.
- Simpler: Billing is never a fun process for anyone involved, much less the person paying the bill. The accuracy and speed afforded by MaxilloSoft’s fee calculations will render the payment process as pain-free as possible for the patient.
A streamlined bill procedure benefits your team, your patients, and ultimately you. It really is that easy!
This blog post was originally written and published September 2020, and was updated December 2021.
