An insightful and informative newsletter from the Art of Practice Management. A dental practice management consulting company that focuses on revenue and collection systems, front desk systems and forms, dental insurance processing, medical/dental cross-coding systems and employment-law compliance.

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My inspiration for this article came from a new client who asked me to develop a
SOAP template for him to follow. As I began to work on that request I wondered how
many other dentists use the SOAP format in their practices. From my experience I
haven't seen many who do. A patient's medical history should always be comprised of
his or her dental history too due to the connection between mouth and body, and this
requires better collaboration between medical and dental providers using an easy way
to share that history. SOAP notes help that process.
SOAP has only been around for a relatively short period of time. It was developed by
Dr. Lawrence Weed in the 1960's as a way to avoid problem oriented medical
records. The medical field is ahead of the dental field in adopting this method for
documenting patient encounters. SOAP notes are supposed to organize symptoms,
observations, assessments and the treatment plan – hence the acronym SOAP.
These notes then become a widely used tool to document in a standardized manner a
patient's progress and can be used on an inter-disciplinary basis.
WINTER SPECIAL
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Articles
SOAP Notes
Marianne HarperOrder before
February 15, 2015
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Now available at The Art of Practice Management Products & Services:
Support Service for Dental-Medical Cross Coding
The first step towards successful dental-medical cross coding is taking the steps to
learn the basics. However, there are often problems that occur in the
implementation phase and also in any of the following stages. Help is now available
to simplify these problems. The Art of Practice Management is now offering a
support service to help dental practices work through their cross coding difficulties
and questions. Marianne Harper can be reached either by email at
a.p.m.1@suddenlink.net or by phone at 252-637-6259.
Simplify your cross coding by signing up for this expert support service.
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 Subjective – This section is used to describe the patient's condition in
narrative form. It includes the patient's chief complaint or reason for a medical
encounter. Areas such as the following are common - onset, chronology
(better or worse, etc.), quality (sharp, dull, etc.), level of pain, what aggravates
the condition, additional symptoms, and previous treatment for the condition.
 Objective – Findings after exam, x-rays, diagnostic testing, and lab testing.If
you are an ordering provider for another provider or lab or if you write
prescriptions for any Medicare eligible patients or order imaging services, you
will need to opt in, opt out, or enroll as a Medicare ordering/prescribing
provider (PECOS enrollment).
 Assessment – the diagnosis that has been determined by the provider.
 Plan – This section is used to describe the provider's plan of treatment, both
immediate and long term.
Third party players play a role in the consideration of using SOAP notes because they
have strict requirements for documentation. They want clear and comprehensive
documentation on any medical and dental service provided. SOAP notes provide that.
SOAP notes put everyone on the same page. Therefore it only makes sense to adopt
this method of patient documentation. So let's clean up our documentation and use
SOAP notes.
Physio-pedia.com – SOAP Notes, http://www.physio-pedia.com/SOAP_Notes, accessed 1-13-
15
EMRSOAP, SOAP Notes, http://www.emrsoap.com/definitions/soap/ accessed 1-16-15
Remember! Take advantage of the winter special shown on the left – 15% off of
the support service fee.
Mastering Piezoelectric Technology
Colleen Rutledge, RDH
For well over a decade, I've helped hygienists become proficient with piezoelectric
ultrasonic scaling. The most common barrier to mastering "piezo" is that most
hygienists use their "Cavitron" (magnetostrictive) skills when using a piezoelectric unit
for the first time.
Users of magnetostrictive technologies are accustomed to the elliptical movement of
the tip which utilizes the front, side and back of the tip to remove calculus. The
elliptical movement of the tip moves like a figure 8. It hits the tooth and pulls away
from the tooth in order to fracture off the calculus. Piezoelectric technology is
different. The tips vibrate along the same plane as the handpiece. In other words, the
lateral sides of the tip mirror the same motion as hand instrumentation. Piezoelectric
technology shaves off the calculus comfortably with very little hand fatigue.
Visualizing the tip movement of the piezo is comparable to the motion of windshield
wipers against a windshield.
To view several short videos on piezo tip technique visit "Talking Tips with Colleen":
http://www.acteonusa.com/talking-tips-with-colleen/
10% OFF The Latest in Piezoelectric Ultrasonics: What's Hot and What's Not
until February 15, 2015! Use code JANMEZ in your shopping cart. Please visit
www.PerioAndBeyond.com to shop now!

3. Dental – This new year brings coding changes. These changes include a new
explanation of restoration location, surfaces and characteristics. Also, there are now
new subcategory descriptors for inlays and onlays, and a new subcategory under
adjunctive general services for non-clinical procedures. If you haven't already
purchased a 2015 dental coding manual, my recommendation is Coding with
Confidence.
Coding with Confidence Manual Order Form.
Medical – When cross coding to medical, there must always be a medical necessity
to the dental procedure. For patients who are covered by both a dental plan and a
medical plan, the fact that there is a medical necessity makes filing with the medical
plan as the primary payer the proper order to file in. Once an EOB is received from
the medical plan, then a claim can be submitted to the dental plan with either an
electronic or paper attachment of a copy of the medical EOB.
January 1, 2015 – The updated cross coding is now available with the codes for
2015 in addition to instructions on completing the new medical claim form. Please
go to the following link to order your update: 2015 Code Update
January 1, 2015 – Updated CDT codes. If you haven't already purchased your CDT
manual, please do so ASAP. My recommendation is Coding with Confidence.
Coding with Confidence/Practice Booster Order Form.
February 11, 2015 – Marianne's Medicare Opt In or Opt Out Audio Conference
at 1:00 PM EST. More information and registration
June 1, 2015 – All physicians and eligible professionals, including dentists, who treat
Medicare beneficiaries and write prescriptions for these patients must either enroll in
the Medicare program or opt out of it.
October 1, 2015 – The beginning date for ICD-10 implementation.
 February 20, 2015 - Los Angeles, CA - Register now
 March 20, 2015 - Los Angeles, CA
 April 17, 2015 - Houston, TX
 May 8, 2015 - Seattle, WA
 June 5, 2015 - Dallas, TX
 July 17, 2015 - San Francisco, CA
 August 14, 2015 - Atlanta, GA
 September 25, 2015 - New York, NY
 October 9, 2015 - Schaumburg, IL
 November 6, 2015 - Los Angeles, CA
Time Line
Insurance Alert
Marianne's Seminar Schedule for Dental Medical Billing
101 with ICD-10

4. Favorite Quotes:
"My article above mentions the importance of collaboration among medical
providers. This newsletter's quote speaks to that but also to the value of good
teamwork.
"Unity is strength... when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can
be achieved."
~ Mattie Stepanek
Tips:
We must always strive to provide our patients with the information that can help to
preserve their dental health. One area of concern is the large number of acidic
drinks and foods that we consume. Patients should be advised about the hidden
acids in many foods and drinks and it should be suggested that they rinse their
mouths with water after consuming these foods or drinks and not to brush their teeth
for at least an hour after the consumption of any acidic foods or drinks.
Points of Interest:
We in the dental field always advocate flossing. However, the following is
not to be advocated...
"In 1994, a prison inmate in West Virginia braided dental floss into a rope,
scaled the wall and escaped."
Tim's Tooth Tidbits; http://timstoothtidbits.wordpress.com/2012/03/02/ten-fun-and-
crazy-dental-facts; accessed 1/16/15
Is there someone you think would be interested in this newsletter?
Please feel free to forward this email to them. Thank you!
The Art of Practice Management
2217 Fox Horn Road • New Bern, NC 28562 • Phone: 1-252-637-6259
www.artofpracticemanagement.com • a.p.m.1@suddenlink.net
Perio-Therapeutics & Beyond
724 Fitzwatertown Road • Glenside, PA 19038 • Phone: 267-241-5833
www.perioandbeyond.com • colleen@perioandbeyond.com
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