Dental Tribune U.S. Edition

HYGIENE TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper ·U.S. Edition MARCH 2013 — Vol. 6, No. 3 www.dental-tribune.com HYGIENE TRIBUNE The World’s Dental Hygiene Newspaper ·U.S. Edition How hygienists can support patients’ overall body health MArIAnnE HArpEr is the CEO of The Art of Practice Management. Her areas of expertise include revenue and collection systems, business office systems and the training of dental practices in dental/medical cross coding. Harper is a well-respected consultant, trainer, lecturer and author. Her published works include “CrossWalking — A Guide Through the Cross Walk of Dental to Medical Coding” and her “Abra-Code-Dabra” series on medical cross coding for sleep apnea, TMD and trauma procedures. Use the power of cross coding By Marianne Harper H ave you lost the excitement? Are you content with what you might now perceive as the same-old, same-old ev- ery day? Day after day you may be per- forming hygiene procedures over and over again, all the while knowing you are helping your patients but perhaps you simply don’t feel as though you are truly making a significant difference in their overall health. If you feel that level of frustration, or even if you don’t, but you are interested in advancing your career, then read on to discover some ways in which you can make a significant differ- ence in the health of your patients. As you are aware, dentistry is becom- ing recognized as a medical discipline. We in the dental field are in a unique position to support our patients’ overall body health. Our patients who maintain their regular recare schedules are quite probably seen by us more frequently than they are seen by their primary care providers. “Around 39 percent of adults see their physicians in a year while 64 percent see their dentists, which means we see 25 percent more patients than they do.”1 Update recare forms Hygienists can be key players in this op- portunity. By thoroughly questioning their new patients and by providing and reviewing medical history forms that are updated with the most current medical questions, hygienists can begin an evalu- ation of their patients’ medical state. In addition, our established patients may have had a change in their medical history since their last appointment, so a recare update form is an efficient way to inquire about their health. If your prac- tice is not familiar with recare update ” See OVERALL, page D2 a New York-based orthodontist and mother of four, who is featured on the website. “Embraceit.com has a wealth of information on orthodontic treatment,presentedinauser-friendlyfor- mat to help patients and parents navigate the braces experience and feel confident with their mouths during the process.” To ease the transition to braces, Crest and Oral-B offer OrthoEssentials, the ideal col- lection of oral care products for someone with braces including simple education tools to guide proper use and produce re- sultsthatexceedexpectations.WithOrtho- Essentials, patients can steer clear of com- mon problems such as gingivitis, tartar and demineralization, which can result in additional time and expense — and get the most beautiful and healthy smile possible. For patients in the tween age group par- ticularly, getting braces is the perfect time to re-establish proper oral care techniques and routines to inspire confidence in hav- ing a healthy smile. To help tween patients through this awkward phase, Crest and Oral-B have updated their line of tween- friendly Pro-Health FOR ME oral care prod- ucts to include the Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME Electric Powered Toothbrush. With a built in two-minute timer and multiple brush heads for sensitive teeth and gums, it enables patients can to power the gunk away — something orthodontist can ap- preciate. FormoreinformationonEmbraceIt!,you can visit www. embraceit.com. Tolearnallabout OrthoEssentials and Crest and Oral-B Pro-Health FOR ME products, visit www.dentalcare.com. (Sources: Crest and Oral-B) Between 1982 and 2008, the number of people getting braces in the U.S. increased by99percent,accordingtotheAAOPatient Census Study conducted by the American Association of Orthodontics. This dramatic growth has resulted in a large number of patients looking for information to prepare for orthodontic treatment and guide them through the often challenging process. To addressthisgrowingneed,CrestandOral-B havelaunchedEmbraceIt!(www.embraceit. com), a complete online resource for par- ents and patients preparing for or main- taining braces. Embrace It! helps answer braces-related questions, including: what to expect, how to care for them, and how to address finan- cial concerns. An “Ask-the-Expert” feature even connects users with an oral care ex- pert to answer their questions. Embrace It! was designed with parents in mind, to make the tooth-straightening process a little less mysterious. “After they leave the office, patients may feeloverwhelmedwithquestionsaboutthe treatment and best products for their oral health condition,” says Dr. Jennifer Salzer, Hinman BOOTH nO. 1507 Fig. 2: Blank, original CMS-1500 form, which is printed in red ink, provides spaces for at least four diagnosis codes and six procedure codes. Codes within these code systems provide further diagnostic information or details on why a procedure might have been modified. The complexity serves as fair warning that cross coding is not an easy system to implement. Fig. 1: Example photocopy of CMS-1500 health insurance claim for treatment of sleep apnea, considered a medically necessary dental procedure that qualifies for coverage through health insurance. Many other dental procedures and tests also can qualify. But you need to know diagnosis and procedure codes — and other nuances of the process. Photos/Provided by Marianne Harper Clinical Embrace it: Help your patients navigate orthodontics with ease Embrace It! (www. embraceit.com), is a complete online resource for parents and patients preparing for or maintaining braces. Photo/Provided by Crest Oral-B