There are a couple of reports in Dentrix that most offices work with on a monthly or even weekly basis, such as the Aging Report and the Unscheduled Treatment Plan Report, that can be very useful, especially when printed. You can go through each account’s Ledger and determine the course of action that needs to be taken when researching unscheduled treatment plans. Then you can open the Patient Chart and contact each patient to discuss their outstanding treatment.
However, I prefer to use the Collections Manager and the Treatment Manager for these tasks. They provide you with the same information you can find in printed reports. What I like about the Collections Manager and Treatment Manager is that you can easily access a patient’s other Dentrix modules from within the report. You also have the ability to apply filters to these two reports so you can find the specific accounts and patients you are looking for.
With the the Dentrix Claims Manager, introduced in the July 2023 update to Dentrix, you have the same ability to interact with other Dentrix modules to see patient information that you can’t get in a paper Insurance Aging Report.
To give it a try, open the Dentrix Claims Manager using the icon found in either the Office Manager or the Ledger.
Here are some of my favorite features of the Dentrix Claims Manager:
- You can set a date range for when claims were sent. The options for date ranges vary, and there are more options available than there are when generating the Insurance Aging Report. Just click the menu, then either choose one of the fixed ranges at the left, or select your own date range by clicking the first date and then the last date on the calendar.
- Clicking on column headers will rearrange how information is sorted in the Dentrix Claims Manager. While it can be useful to sort the information by insurance plan, as with the Insurance Aging Report, sometimes you may want to sort it by claim status. For example, it would be a good idea to look for claims that were batched but not sent, and then you can make sure they are sent with all the necessary documentation. It would also be helpful to sort by when the claim was last updated, that way you can work on claims you haven’t already updated first.
- It’s helpful and convenient to have detailed claim information available in the Dentrix Claims Manager, along with the option to update the claim status notes without ever leaving the screen. It’s always important to update the claim status notes so everyone in your office is aware of what is going on with a claim and where it is in the payment process.
- Another benefit is having access to the patient’s other Dentrix modules from the Dentrix Claims Manager, including access to the Insurance Data and Benefits and Coverage for the patient’s insurance. So, if you’re working on updating claim status information and an insurance plan advises you that the address for claims has changed, you can change the address in the Insurance Data quickly and easily all while working on your report.
I prefer the Collections Manager and Treatment Manager over the Aging Report and Unscheduled Treatment Plan Report in Dentrix because I find they are more functional and easier to work with since you can apply filters to find the accounts and the patients you are looking for. You can also easily access other areas of Dentrix without leaving the reports. Similarly, the Dentrix Claims Manager could be a great alternative when working on the Insurance Aging Report since it allows you to filter the patients and claims you’re looking for and directly access other Dentrix modules.
Learn More
For additional information, read the following:
- Claims Manager Overview
- Finding Claims that were Batched but not Sent
- Adding or Editing Claim Status Notes
- Opening Other Dentrix Modules from the Claims Manager
By Charlotte Skaggs
Certified Dentrix Trainer and The Dentrix Office Manager columnist
Charlotte Skaggs is the founder of Vector Dental Consulting LLC, a practice management firm focused on taking offices to the next level. Charlotte co-owned and managed a successful dental practice with her husband for 17 years. She has a unique approach to consulting based on the perspective of a practice owner. Charlotte has been using Dentrix for over 20 years and is a certified Dentrix trainer. Contact Charlotte at vectordentalconsulting@gmail.com.
