Insurance Code
Insurance Code
With an aim of stating their needs, the government, vendors, providers, payers, and clearinghouses came to an agreement for standardized code set. In medicine, this code set, Current Dental Terminology (CDT) is reconsidered biennially at the beginning of odd number years. The very first CDT was completed in 1969 (American Dental Association, 2004). It was then revised five years after; in response to an HIPAA Standard set of codes, it is currently revised after every two years. The CDT 2011-12 had in it eight new dental procedure codes, accompanied by 19 revisions to the procedure code nomenclature descriptors. Currently, the codes have a ‘D’ and four-digit number attached. There are twelve categories of code standard. The coding and transaction normally apply to most service; there are very few exceptions.
Physicians are always faced with the responsibility of submitting their claims to a medical care program in a format that is standard electronic. Normal dentists, however, will have medicine claims, in case they do, they would fall under such requirements (Sideridou et al., 2011). A physician or dentist activity that contains less than ten full-time employees is not subject to such standards. A medicine contractor will not allow any transaction that does not meet the requirements of new standards.
Diagnostic, Preventive, and Periodontics CDT
Dental hygiene forms the backbone of most practices, which for the most part, consists of the diagnosis and treatment procedures that occur during hygiene appointment. Insurance containers and ACA (Affordable Care Act) drive value-based care. A registered dental hygienist completes post-secondary learning in instructions related to dental hygiene. Registered dental hygienists are board-tested in theory and proficiency and state registered. The hygienist has the concern of preventing dental disease; specialized in making sure they clean, polish, and radiographs the teeth, periodontal treatment and education of patients all have to be ensured.
The hygienists may as well perform a few operative supportive protocols in case the they have the necessary education, tested and well certified as a state approved funding dental auxiliary (Gilbert et al., 2008). Additional to such practice areas, a dental hygienist who has completed advanced ADHA education curriculum, which makes sure a hygienist is prepared to undertake diagnostic preventable, and therapeutic services, may earn a certification of advanced hygiene practitioner. Therefore, as a dental hygienist, the preventive codes that would effectively work on a patient are D 1000-D1999. In cases where diagnostic codes have to apply, as a dentist, I would use D0000-D0999 diagnostic codes. Moreover, for Periodontics where the education of patients is related and all have to be ensured, I would use D 4000-D4999 codes.
Conclusion
Each profession employs their concept, type, and kind of instructions. Just similar to a baseball team; which uses balls, masks, gloves, blasts, and bases; a dental hygienist requires special equipment for their operation. Other types of equipment that are commonly used in all aspects of density and others are formed for different specialized procedures. Therefore, Current Dental Terminology (CDT) has its purpose in ensuring dental hygiene is conducted through a set of coding. The transaction and coding usually relate to most services and the exceptions are very limited.
Reference
American Dental Association. (2004). CDT: Current Dental Terminology. American Dental Association.
Sideridou, I. D., Karabela, M. M., & Vouvoudi, E. C. (2011). Physical properties of current dental nanohybrid and nanofill light-cured resin composites. dental materials, 27(6), 598-607.
Gilbert, G. H., Bader, J. D., Litaker, M. S., Shelton, B. J., & Duncan, R. P. (2008). Patient‐Level and Practice‐Level Characteristics Associated with Receipt of Preventive Dental Services: 48‐Month Incidence. Journal of public health dentistry, 68(4), 209-217.
