Improve Profitability through Clean Claims

With almost 11 ADA recognized dental specialties and having a burgeoning market share, the specialty dental business is here to make significant gains in the coming years as we take a cursory glance on the latest trends of the dental industry.

Listen to Ryan Arnold, Principal, Wisdom Teeth Guys as he explains the possibilities that lie ahead for Dental Specialty business and how he has paid attention on patient care,technology adoption and brand management to further sustainable practice growth for his specialty.

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Creating Sustainable Specialty Dental Businesses

Dentistry's Inner Circle Podcast

A series of podcasts from practice owners on how they navigated the change and successfully transitioned to CareStack. 

How Dr. Williams' Practice Optimized Growth with CareStack

Case Study: How Dr. Williams' Practice Optimized Growth with CareStack

Expanding Dental Care beyond the Clinic

Expanding Dental Care Beyond the Clinic

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Embracing Change To Grow Your Group

Enable Dental Completes Its Migration To CareStack

Enable Dental Completes Its Migration To Industry Leading Cloud Based Dental Software

Beatrice

Ishtiaq Rouf

Dana Veach

Dr. Himesh Kana, DDS

Himesh Kana

 Penny Filipe

Promoted to Manager, Now What

Promoted to Manager, Now What?

Top Trends in Dental Software for 2025

Top Trends in Dental Software for 2025: What Practices Should Prepare For

Brand Guidelines for Dental Offices to Attract and Retain Gen-Z Patients

Reducing patient no-shows and cancellations begins by accepting that 

it’s impossible to guarantee that your patients will always keep their appointments

. Once you accept that this falls outside your control, you can pool your efforts on the aspects that are within your control, and which help reduce no-shows and cancellations.

missed appointments cause a ripple effect

 that impacts your schedules, revenues, and the effectiveness of treatments. It strikes a serious blow to your bottom line. But with that said, there are 

effective safeguards you can put in place

 to address this issue. Before we explore these safeguards, let’s examine the key reasons behind no-shows and cancellations. 

Typically, patients miss their appointments when they:

Don’t understand the importance of keeping their appointments

Misunderstand when their appointment is scheduled

Self diagnose and decide to skip their appointments

Worry about bad news and try to avoid the situation

Have a shallow relationship with the provider

There is a wide range of reasons for patients to miss their appointments, but most can be mitigated with improved patient-provider communication and by implementing the following safeguards.

It became widely accepted as a care delivery method after the 2020 pandemic, but thanks to the convenience offered to patients, 

 is here to stay. Outside the initial check-up and actual treatment, consultations and routine post-op visits can be performed remotely. The virtual interactions offer patients the opportunity to 

receive treatment in the comfort of their living room

 or office. The added benefit of leveraging teledentistry is it adds one less reason for patients to rethink or opt out of their dental appointments. 

Another approach that has gained traction is using 

 to collect vital patient information. E-forms are a key feature of modern practice management software (PMS). This feature is now used widely to stay in line with the COVID-19 safety protocols. With this new norm, practices have completely replaced the clipboard and embraced digitization. Another fact that supports this approach is that 

98% of patients who take time to fill out online forms commit to their appointments

COVID-19 has added fuel to the fire of dental anxiety among patients. The risk of exposure is a valid fear. The best way for you to 

 is with communication and education. Ensure you convey the safety protocols and measures followed at your practice to reduce the risks from COVID-19. Launching targeted email campaigns, and updating relevant information on your practice website and 

convey your commitment to patient care and safety

 and encourage patients to follow through with their appointments.

When you provide your patients with the option to make payments in advance, it reduces the instances of no-shows and benefits your collections and accounts receivable. Get paid upfront instead of having to wait for 2-3 months. Paying cash in advance leads to 

. You can provide this option during patient checkout, especially when both you and your patient agree with the importance of scheduling the next appointment.

Offering upfront payment at this stage is apt, as the patient is likelier to take action and commit to their oral health. Another way to make it easy for them to pay is by providing an 

. Make sure that you inform your patient about your prepaid payment options. Market it through your campaigns, newsletters, and phone scripts.

Reminders are an effective way to reduce patient no-shows. Plan your 

and decide on a frequency that works best for your target clientele. Start off with a postcard, followed by email and text reminders. Add a phone reminder a few days before the scheduled appointment. Ensure that you cut down on reminders once you receive confirmation from your patients. Practice management software aids you to launch, coordinate and track your recall campaigns effectively.

reward patients who keep their appointments

. The reward initiatives can include discounts or gift cards. The benefits of such an approach are twofold. You encourage your patients to follow through on your appointments and 

convey how much you value their participation

. Moreover, curating such experiences helps you retain your customers.

Sometimes, patients simply forget an appointment. Send 

 that can include a “We missed you at the practice” message. Follow this up with a phone call to encourage them to reschedule immediately.

It is crucial that your patients know the impact of your treatments on their oral health. If your patients are not invested in the outcomes of your treatment plan, it is unlikely that they will uphold their commitments. 

 before every appointment. Remind them of the benefits of the procedure and the progress they’ve made so far. 

 of the scheduled appointment and ensure that they are fully onboard. A phone reminder before the appointment will help refresh what they already know about the 

Patients skip appointments because they owe your practice money or are worried the procedure will be too expensive. When this happens, it’s time to 

. It’s important that payments never come as a surprise to the patient. This causes anxiety in the patient, especially when they expect hidden expenses from each visit. When 

 and benefits are discussed upfront and agreed upon, patient no-shows due to financial concerns can be avoided. 

 allows you to effectively educate and communicate with your patients. Automating tasks like appointment reminders or confirmation/cancellation emails, filling last-minute openings, and sending online forms and other notifications to engage patients, practices can drastically cut revenue loss and staff workload while reducing patient no-shows and cancellations.

Eliminating No-Shows and Cancellations at Dental Office

For a dental practice, revenue cycle management is the equivalent of the body’s circulatory system and the heart of a practice’s financial success. The revenue cycle incorporates data capture, claims and denials management, and the collection of payments from both patient and insurance receivables. A healthy system works in concert with industry best practices and technical solutions to optimize efficiencies, identify “leaks” and improve operational workflows. As every practice is unique, it is difficult to prescribe a “one size fits all” approach. However, there are key performance indicators, which can and should be followed to measure practice performance. There are several potential KPIs which provide valuable insight into the collection’s performance and financial health of practice including, but not limited to: Collections percentage, Production growth, Aging accounts receivable, Days sales outstanding, Adjustments percentage, and Credit balances. 

Since 2011, the dental industry has experienced a steady and upward trend in aging receivables, with the majority of balances aged greater than 90 days. The good news is that CareStack offers a solution that combines modern technology, effective processes, and industry expertise to kick start the heart and breathe life back into the revenue cycle.

Revenue Cycle Playbook for Dental Professional

Revenue Cycle Playbook for Dental Professionals

From small, solo practices to large, multi-location clinics, these case studies demonstrate the versatility and value of CareStack in improving the patient experience and driving practice . 

Northwest Dental Group

In 2023, the average dental office ran $44,925 in credit card payments per month. That’s a 45.5% increase over the 2019 average of $30,876. It’s also a 195% increase over the 2009 average of $15,221. In other words, the average dental practice in the USA is now running almost 3 times as much in credit cards as in 2009.

Credit Card Payments per Month for an Average Dental Office

Northwest Dental Group Casestudy

Northwest Dental Group was experiencing this shift in consumer preferences first hand. With their 4 locations spread across the city of Rochester, MN, Northwest dental group serves an energetic young population with a median age of 36.3 years (2022). The offices were showing healthy growth, but the leadership team noticed a pattern.

“Almost 83% of our transactions were credit card based.” says DeDee Tibben, Practice Manager at 

. She knew that with higher volumes, she was paying a lot more to BluePay, her merchant processor. Focused on reducing her merchant fees, she started looking for a better deal elsewhere.

It was April 2023, and Northwest Dental Group had been on the CareStack cloud-based 

 for more than a year. That was when her account manager told her about 

, CareStack’s new integrated payments solution. When she heard that 

 and could also store credit information compliantly, DeDee decided to make the switch.

“The whole process was flawless.” says DeDee about the implementation experience. “We had all the machines sent to us ahead of time before the switch. The process was laid out step-by-step, so it was easy for us to pick a date and go live.”

The CSPay implementation gave instant rewards to DeDee’s team. Northwest Dental Group 

 after their switch to CSPay, due to the lower merchant processing fees. Today, it also helps them 

 on account of the time saved for repetitive and flawed payment workflows associated with their previous credit card processor.

“I really like CSPay’s complete integration with CareStack, especially for refunds. We process a lot of refunds, so the time savings have been incredible.” beams DeDee.

“You know we were looking at CSPay for the merchant fees, but we had no idea of the time savings we were going to get with it as well.”

But the benefits of CSPay did not stop there. CSPay’s integrated capabilities to store credit card information securely and then use it later for automated periodic billing helped DeDee and her team to launch Northwest Dental Group’s 

“Our primary objective at first was the cost.” DeDee says. “And then it kicked into a faster gear.”

Today Northwest Dental Group has more than 

300 patients enrolled into their in-house membership plans

, with new patients being enrolled every month at a healthy rate. It gives the patients a more affordable avenue of care without compromising on the quality of care, while giving Northwest Dental Group an additional way of serving their patients better. The patients also love the easier payment options that have been added with CSPay.

“They love the ability to pay from the patient portal. They love the text-to-pay feature”. Says DeDee. “I think it also gives them confidence knowing that our technology is up to date.”

DeDee Tibben  Northwest Dental Group

Northwest Dental Group is one of the many success stories of practices who have switched to CSPay and realized how impactful it can be to their bottom line and patient experience. To know more about CSPay and how it can benefit your practice, click here to book a demo today.

Name: Northwest Dental Group, Rochester, MN

83% of their transactions were on credit card

Needed to lower their merchant fees (4.2% with the previous vendor)

Also was looking to implement a membership plan across offices

Ability to roll out membership plans integrated to the CareStack platform

 due to reduced time taken during reconciliation of transactions, refunds etc., because of the integrated seamless workflows between CSpay and CareStack

 due to reduced merchant fees with CSpay compared to previous vendor

Increased patient retention with membership plans - 

 in the membership plans since they rolled out the integrated membership plans

Simple, effective training and always available support

Clear communication during contracting, shipping of terminals

Easy for staff to learn the workflows to use CSpay along with CareStack

https://www.dentalmanagers.com/blog/payments-trends-impacting-your-office-financial-health/

https://www.census.gov/data/developers/data-sets/acs-5year.html

How Northwest Dental Group saves $33,000 per quarter with CSPay

Case Study: How Northwest Dental Group saves $33,000 per quarter with CSPay

Efficient revenue cycle management plays a crucial role in ensuring profitability and sustenance in a practice. The ability to effectively collect revenue and utilize it to improve the quality of care provided as well as the infrastructure of the practice is perhaps one of the most significant aspects of financial management in any practice.

In today’s digital age, the healthcare industry isn’t far behind when it comes to the use of technology and automation to manage its revenue cycle. This change has proven to be quite effective for the practices in managing their revenue cycle. However, despite these advancements, we are often able to find insufficiencies in some of the RCM processes. These insufficiencies need to be identified and properly addressed and the most feasible solutions need to be provided in order to ensure an effective revenue cycle management process in place.

Here are the most common RCM challenges that practices face on a frequent basis:

 This is one of the most common challenges faced by the practice. It is never easy to collect timely payments after providing treatments to patients. In fact, it is commonly agreed by most healthcare professionals that the collection of payments is the biggest challenge faced by their practice. Revenue not coming into the practice on a regular basis could adversely affect the overall operations of the practice and ultimately its efficiency.

Futile amount of time spent on revenue cycle management:

 Alongside treating patients and helping them lead healthier lives, optimization of the revenue cycle is also a crucial process for a practice to fulfill its mission. But oftentimes, the practice may lack the tools and resources that they may need in order to optimize and manage their revenue cycle in an effective manner. As a result, they end up spending an excessive amount of time and manpower on their revenue cycle instead of managing other more relevant areas of operations.

 The insurance eligibility of patients is highly unpredictable. Hence pre-authorization prior to providing any kind of care or treatment becomes very much necessary. But as important as this process is, it is also highly time-consuming. What makes it even more difficult is the delays and errors, if any, which would just end up further delaying/causing an inconvenience in the treatment or care being provided to the patient.

 Regulatory compliance is one of the more critical challenges that practices may face; especially when they are outsourcing their RCM service. It is very crucial that the practice as well as the RCM service providers comply with the rules and regulations of the industry. A practice’s RCM should comply with the guidelines laid down by the Healthcare Information Portability and Accountability Act 1996. HIPAA violations are an extremely common challenge in the healthcare industry today. Failure to comply could end up costing a fortune for the practice.

 Data and information are key elements to the effective management of a practice’s revenue cycle. The lack of communication and information exchange between departments can lead to tremendous amounts of revenue loss for a practice. The practice has abundant amounts of data and other resources which if used in a meaningful manner can boost the practice’s revenue. But on the other hand, the inability to share and exchange these can increase the risk of problems.

 This is a very complex RCM challenge that practices face because as crucial as it is, accurate coding is also an extremely difficult and confusing task. Practitioners dealing with these codes are required to stay up to date with the ever-changing codes and guidelines of the industry. Leakage of revenue is inevitable if these code changes are not duly monitored and adopted, and the application of the same is not reflected in practice.

 Most healthcare providers find it extremely challenging to get the deeper insights they require to ensure the most optimal approach to their revenue cycle management. Lack of the right tools in place, it’s next to impossible possible to get complete visibility into the revenue cycle and measure KPIs.

It is quite evident that these challenges are preventing the practice from functioning at its full potential and achieving its goals. Hence these challenges need to be addressed and tackled in the most efficient manner. In order to overcome these challenges, the practice must make available the tools to fill any existing gaps and clear any insufficiencies. On the other hand, outsourcing RCM services is in itself a great tool that can help take a major load off your practice by minimizing any errors or inaccuracies to a great extent. This helps you direct your focus on the more important aspects of operations in your practice. Once outsourced, the financial stability of your practice will directly depend on the quality and capabilities of the RCM service provider you are associated with. Partnering with an RCM service provider can help improve the overall financial picture of your practice.

Reclaim Lost Revenue with CareRevenue by CareStack

Is your dental practice losing revenue? CareRevenue, part of 

’s all-in-one platform, offers a complete solution to identify leaks, optimize claims, and improve cash flow. Perfect for startups, DSOs, specialists, and mobile practices.

Contact us today to see how we can boost your practice’s financial health!

Looking for the best cloud-based dental software?

Book a demo with us!

What are the major RCM challenges faced by the practices?

Dr. Williams and the staff comprise a small but closely-knit group striving to expand their dental practice and enhance its efficiency. They are making a move to a new space, upgrading from three to six operatories. However, managing these operatories and multiple providers without any hindrances proved quite challenging, which led them to search for a 

Tyler Phillips

Dr. Williams' team previously used multiple systems for different dental operations. As they expanded, integrating these systems became unmanageable. CareStack simplifies appointment scheduling across 

, and providers with its unified calendar feature.

CareStack's user-friendly interface and centralized database stood out. Its scheduler effortlessly manages appointments across operatories, streamlining our workflow.

Transitioning to a Digital Patient Experience

With CareStack, the practice has gone entirely digital . The clutter of paperwork is a thing of the past. The online patient portal offers a seamless experience, from account creation to appointment bookings.

To learn more about how CareStack can help your practice, please explore all of our

Another one of CareStack's awesome features is the online Patient portal. Our patients can login and fill in their details even before coming in. We can communicate with them via text and email straight from the system. If the patient has an outstanding balance, they can go into their portal and pay. This makes financing so much more manageable.

Explore how CareStack™ can transform your practice.

Minimal errors and delays in management with an increase in patient satisfaction

 has reduced errors and delays, resulting in higher patient satisfaction and team morale.

CareStack's patient portal, along with the PMS, has minimized errors in patient details and made the whole workflow a breeze. The product support team is so helpful and responds instantly with the chat feature.

CareStack's innovative features, including the 

, designed with patient satisfaction and accessibility in mind, ensuring smooth operations at every stage of the dental journey. Patients can 

 pay outstanding balances, fill out online forms, and electronically sign treatment plans and letters.

Our easy-to-use interface makes it simple for your team to get started. Book a demo now to see how it can benefit your practice.

Find the best dental software with CareStack.

Celebration Dental's growth was hindered by an outdated practice management system that couldn't keep pace with its expanding needs. The challenges they faced included:

 The existing system lacked the flexibility, integration, and visibility required for a thriving dental practice, affecting its bottom line.

 The legacy system's poor integration with patient engagement tools led to missed scheduling opportunities and ineffective recall management.

 The staff, especially at the front desk, felt overwhelmed. The outdated systems they worked with were less intuitive than their personal smartphones, leading to frustration and reduced patient attention.

 While many patients tolerated the older processes, frequent issues like payment errors, scheduling mishaps, and eligibility checks often resulted in confrontations, putting the practice's reputation at risk.

 Predicting revenue became challenging, and system glitches often delayed payouts, making payroll management a nightmare.

The Transformation with CareStack™: Celebration Dental's collaboration with CareStack™ was driven by the platform's modern design and the company's dedication to addressing its challenges. The team was particularly thrilled to align with a dynamic and innovative company. The results were transformative:

Linda

 CareStack™ streamlined Celebration Dental's 

, enhancing cash flow through faster insurance payouts and an optimized 

: With features like online check-ins, manual data entry became obsolete. This freed up the front office staff, allowing them to focus on patient engagement and marketing initiatives. Enhanced 

 and clinical tools also boosted per-patient production and profitability.

 provided Celebration Dental with granular insights into its operations, enabling data-driven decision-making.

The alliance between Celebration Dental and CareStack™ is a testament to the power of collaboration. Together, they're setting new benchmarks in dental practice management, ensuring operational excellence and unparalleled patient care.

Transform your dental practice management with ease using our intuitive user interface and extensive resources for seamless onboarding. Experience hassle-free onboarding and elevate your practice to new heights.

Experience the CareStack difference!

How Did CareStack Turn Around Celebration Dental's Practice Management

Case Study: How Did CareStack Turn Around Celebration Dental's Practice Management?

 largely occur between insurance carriers and dental practices. While a practice seeks to collect payments from carriers, insurance companies reject claims that don’t fall within their parameters of acceptance, and this happens often.

Add the complexity of dental claims processing to that, and we can see an average practice forfeiting around 9% of its yearly production to uncollected insurance revenue. If you take a moment to think about it, this is revenue that has been rightfully earned and owed to the practice.

When you crunch the numbers, the ramifications are astonishing.

Annual revenue generated by an average dental practice is around $1,500,000

The average annual revenue lost in uncollected insurance benefits is around $135,000

Average uncollected revenue over 30 years: $4,050,000

To add insult to injury, to write off the debt as uncollectible, a dental practice has to clear audits by the IRS and prove that it has taken reasonable steps to collect the debt but was unable to do so.

Impact on Staff and Cash Flow

The complexity of the dental billing process has made this ‘task’ into a full-time skill-based ‘job.’

Considering the range of responsibilities handled by staff, such as engaging with patients, presenting treatment plans, answering phones, keeping the schedule full, managing staff, and maintaining the office, it becomes difficult for them to contend with all that is required.

This includes preparing and submitting insurance claims, appeals, and follow-ups on receivables. Even the most committed office managers inadvertently have a negative impact on cash flow.

A general approach to dental practices that are considered efficient is to deal with claims in batches.

They set aside one day in a week or a month for these tasks.

The flip side of such an approach is that many claims and payments get delayed, with missing or incomplete information that stacks up the pending paperwork.

Outside the most apparent impact on cash flow, delayed submissions result in a wasted investment of time and efforts of your staff.

Pulling together missing or revised information can set them up against claim deadlines and appeal processes that might not always yield results.

The strain on time for your staff resources sets them up to unsuccessfully contest a commonly acknowledged ‘fact’ – delayed collections with outstanding balances over 90 days are unlikely to get settled.

But let’s say that you are able to afford a qualified professional who handles nothing else but dental billing and coding and A/R collections.

Even if this were the case, instances when your employee is on extended leave or quits their job leave you at a disadvantage with the added investment of hiring, onboarding, and training new staff.

These short-term setbacks have long-term consequences.

Meanwhile, your collection mechanism grinds to a halt and severely impacts the cash flow at your practice.

Another high-impact obstacle to dental billing is its impact on your patients.

While you prioritize patient health, a typical patient generally prioritizes their finances before health.

Your patients depend on you to help them navigate the maze of insurance benefits they are entitled to.

This is understandable as it’s difficult for a common consumer to comprehend their Explanation of Benefits (EOBs).

Undoubtedly, accurate financial processes are a large part of the patient experience.

Any errors regarding benefits coverage or surprises regarding out-of-pocket payments, irrespective of whether the fault lies with you, erode patient trust.

Once a patient loses trust, it’s difficult to patch it back up.

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