There was a time in the not-so-distant past where taking radiographs as part of a dental examination was commonplace. However, with fears about radiation and changing insurance policies in some parts of the United States, times are certainly changing.
With recent talk about radiation from imaging and tweaks in insurance coverage, we wanted to see what changes were happening with imaging in today’s dental practice. To do this, we looked at the numbers of images, both digital and film, taken in comparison to comprehensive exams performed in dental practices across the United States.
In order to find these numbers, we extracted data from Sikka’s collection of numbers taken from Sikka Software that has been collected from more than 12,500 dental practices from around the United States. We then broke down the percentage of times an image was taken as a part of a comprehensive exam.
Here are the numbers we found:
2011 – 94.52%
2012 – 94.96%
2013 – 97%
2014 – 96%
2015 – 95.91%
2016 – 90.67%
In 2016, percentages hit a seven-year low, showing a sharp decrease from not only the previous year but also from the seven-year high established in 2010.
So what is causing some of the declines? We talked to Teresa Duncan, founder of Odyssey Management, Inc. and one of the leading sources for insurance information in the dental industry, about what she sees in the numbers.
“Offices were billing out radiographs only to be denied by the insurance companies for reasons such as frequency limitations or combinations with other procedures,” Duncan said. “For example, billing a full mouth set of radiographs along with a panorex film usually results in one being paid and one being denied. Practices have started to back away from billing both because they don’t want to bill the patient or write it off. They rationalize it by saying that they’ll have to absorb the cost anyway – why adjust off for it? I don’t agree with this but it is an often-heard sentiment. There is also digital technology that has changed how we take radiographs. As practices utilize more cone beam digital technologies, we see machines that not only give you CBCT images but also panoramic radiographs. Rather than billing out for the pans separately, offices are billing medically and/or to dental insurance for the CBCT.
Changes are happening, but Duncan doesn’t think the numbers should be dropping like they are.
“It’s odd that there is a decrease in radiographs,” Duncan said. “I understand concerns about insurance but dental professionals are still having to diagnose and prescribe treatment for their patients so these diagnostic procedures should still be happening on a very regular basis. Our industry is very focused on overall health and diagnostic capabilities – more so than ever before. I suspect that offices are tired of fighting over small periapical or bitewing image charges but those small amounts add up.”
Note: Want to learn more about what Sikka Software can do for your practice? Practice Mobilizer is the free app that lets you send HIPAA-compliant video messages, track patient arrival times, provides zip code specific fee data and more. Click here to download.
This article was originally published August 17, 2017 on DrBicuspid. You can view the original article here: http://bit.ly/2v6lJK2
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