The ADA will restart its Third Party Payer Concierge service on Jan. 4 after a year-long hiatus.

The service, which assists dentists with insurance questions and concerns with third party payers, is for member dentists only and can be accessed by calling 1-800-621-8099 or emailing dentalbenefits@ada.org.

The program will be evaluated after a five-year period, according to Resolution 88H-2021, passed by the 2021 House of Delegates.

“Many dentists cite dental insurance as the source of one of their greatest frustrations and I am happy that the ADA Third Party Payer Concierge service will be back in January 2022,” said Mark Johnston, D.D.S., chair of the ADA Council on Dental Benefit Programs’ Dental Benefit Information Subcommittee. “This service provides much-needed assistance for dentists with insurance-related questions and concerns that they cannot find elsewhere. Even though many dentists’ issues come down to contractual obligations, the ADA can provide education on the nuances of doing business with dental insurance companies and how to empower themselves to make decisions that are best for their patients and their practices,” Dr. Johnston said.

He added, “Coordination of benefits is a constant source of confusion for many dental offices, and the Concierge will be able to help answer questions and address concerns regarding COB. Another common concern from dental offices involves claim denials. While the Concierge may not be able to get a claim paid for you, it can provide assistance with the appeals process. Lastly, dentists have reported concerns with poorly written explanation of benefits statements and the Concierge can also help dentists with EOB language questions as well.”
 
In addition to restarting the service, the resolution also calls for funds to be available for states to promote the Third Party Payer Concierge in 2022. 

For valuable educational ready-to-use resources on innovative dental insurance solutions for dentists, visit ADA.org/dentalinsurance.