To close or not to close, that is the question. The answer? CLOSE! A lot of offices worry about closing out the month and how it “locks down the month and they can’t make changes.” I’ve always compared closing out the month to banking. If you deposit one thousand dollars into your bank account but notice on the receipt that it says one hundred dollars, you walk back up to the teller and point out the error. Instead of deleting off the original deposit, the teller typically does an adjustment to make it right. We can do the same thing in Dentrix.
Not closing out the month means the following to a Dentrix user:
- The Accounts Receivables don’t age. Everything looks like it’s in the current column, rather than aging at 30, 60, and 90 days.
- The insurance estimates are typically off. The patients’ maximum doesn’t reset for the new year, making manual calculations a daily routine and a drain on efficiency for the practice.
- Patient statements can be several pages because it includes everything, rather than just showing the most recent procedures.
- Data on reports can be skewed.
Tips to increase confidence in closing out the month
- Read the Day Sheet. The doctors and hygienists should read their own Day Sheets to verify accuracy. Missing Build-Ups, PA’s, or Fluoride treatments can often be spotted on a Day Sheet. They can even identify and correct a wrong tooth before the claims go out.
- Consider sending out insurance claims the next morning. That gives the clinical team a chance to review their day sheet and discover/fix any inaccuracies.
- If someone makes an error (and we are all human, so expect a few), simply “inactivate” the procedure, make the appropriate adjustment, and re-enter the correct data.
- Make it a habit—it protects the practice.
A closed-out month is a happy one. 🙂
Learn More
- For more information about closing the month, watch the free on-demand webinar or read “Schedule Routine Tasks and Reports to Run Automatically.”
If you found these ideas helpful, you may be interested in learning more about the Dentrix Profitability Coaching Program, where these, and many other great concepts, strategies and ideas are taught to you and your team by one of our highly skilled and experienced profitability coaches. To find out more about Dentrix Profitability Coaching, CLICK HERE.