Dentalxchange.com has announced two new partnerships with two of the nation's biggest dental insurance companies.
Dentalxchange.com and Delta Dental Insurance Company have joined forces to offer Delta participating dentists in 10 states free and discounted Web services to help market their services to patients and better manage their practices.
Through the agreement, about 18,000 Delta dentists will be eligible for a free Web page and dentist directory listing from dentalxchange.com as well as substantial savings on a professional web site. The page or site will be linked from dentalxchange.com's online dentist directory at www.dentistdirectory.com.
"Our new partnership with Delta Dental provides a unique marketing opportunity for Delta dentists who want a Web presence and empowers consumers to make more educated decisions," said Steve Brewer, dentalxchange.com CEO.
Robert Elliott, president of Delta Dental, said the alliance further bolsters Delta's use of the Web to link dentists and patients, building on the success of another partnership dentalxchange.com forged last year with parent company Delta Dental Plan of California. "More than 800 California dentists are taking advantage of these free and discounted web sites, and the result has been a service to enrollees that greatly complements our other web-based tools such as our online benefits and eligibility and dental information portals," he said. "This most recent alliance rolls out the service to 10 more states, allowing many more dental offices to more effectively promote their practices with practical, consumer-friendly information."
Also, Aetna and dentalxchange.com announced the expansion of an agreement to provide dentists with online eligibility verification and access to Aetna benefit plan details. This service is made possible through dentalxchange.com's PayerConnectSM product, which eliminates telephone calls and paperwork by connecting dentists with multiple insurance companies via the Internet.
"We are very pleased to provide this new service to participating dentists," said Scott Schnuckle, head of Aetna's Dental Plans. "We recognize that dentists and their staffs do not want to spend their valuable time calling multiple carriers for eligibility and plan information. By working to simplify their administrative tasks, we are encouraging greater focus on providing care, which we hope leads to improved relationships both with the patient and with us."
"Dentists and their office staffs are extremely eager to streamline reimbursement-related activities by using PayerConnect," said Bill Jackson, DDS, senior vice president of dentalxchange.com's Connectivity Group. "Aetna's participation enables us to provide the critical mass of plan member data needed for dentists to embrace one of the most practical Internet applications available to them."
PayerConnect provides online eligibility verification and benefit plan details for both managed dental and fee-for-service patients. Aetna is currently offering this application for managed dental membership in select areas and will work to expand nationwide throughout 2002. Participating providers will be able to access information on co-payments, limitations and exclusions, waiting periods, supplemental payments and office visit co-payments, all at the procedure code level. Dentists can also submit encounter information and complete access surveys electronically.
Dentalxchange.com plans to offer the fee-for-service version later this year. It will enable dentists to submit claims, handle pre-authorizations, and check coinsurance amounts and claims status online, directly from insurance companies.
