Here's how:

Delta Dental of Kansas participating dentist donates to an approved organization within the 2018 calendar year. Eligible organizations include any non-profit charitable health care, education, civic or cultural organization provided it is located in Kansas and recognized as a tax exempt organization by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3).

To apply for the matching gift, download and submit a completed 2018 Delta Dental of Kansas Matching Gift Application, including your donation tax receipt to Delta Dental of Kansas Community Benefit Department by:

Email:

corpcomm@deltadentalks.com

Mail:

Delta Dental of Kansas

Attn: Community Benefit

1619 N Waterfront Parkway

P.O. Box 789769

Wichita, KS 67278-9769

Fax:

316-462-3372

Learn more here. 

Effective July 9, 2018, Delta Dental of Kansas (DDKS) no longer accepts phone inquiries from third party solutions such as Medusind, VSNL America, E-clinical Works, etc. that initiate calls to obtain benefits and eligibility information on behalf of dental offices.

Why?

Per HIPAA, the Privacy Rule generally requires covered entities to take reasonable steps to limit the use or disclosure of, and requests for, Protected Health Information to the minimum necessary to accomplish the intended purpose. Some of these services request benefits for multiple patients, multiple codes, run downs plus complete claims history, which we believe may not meet the minimum necessary requirement under the Privacy Rule.

In addition, it appears that some of these entities are not accredited with the Better Business Bureau and cannot be adequately verified.

Alternate ways to access patient information:

You can access benefits, eligibility and claims status by logging in to your dentist account. Your Professional Relations Representative will be happy to provide web training as necessary to any dental office staff as needed. You can also use DDKS Fax Back to obtain this information: 877-329-3357.

Help us recognize great work! The Professional Relations team rewards Customer Service team members who have provided dental offices with excellent customer service through the Happy Office Acknowledgment Program.

We are requesting that you tell us when you have had a great customer service experience with Delta Dental of Kansas. Please send an email to pr@deltadentalks.com with: the name of the helpful Customer Service team member, the date and time of your call, your name and dentist name.

There was an update to the procedure code D4355 made by the ADA CDT Coding Committee on January 1, 2018 that is still causing some questions.

Visit the Kansas Dental Board's (KDB) Dental Hygiene FAQs on this topic.

Our Policy and Employer Contracts state that a fee for the replacement of amalgam or composite restorations on the same tooth and same surface(s) is disallowed if done by the same dentist/dental office within 24 months of the initial restoration. This means we will benefit each surface of a tooth only once every two years, even if the second restoration is in a different location on a previously paid surface (with the exception of the upper first molars due to the transverse line).

However, we know that sometimes there are extenuating circumstances that exist, such as trauma, poor oral hygiene or patient neglect. In these cases, if we are notified, the replacement fee would not be disallowed; instead it would be denied as the responsibility of the patient. If this is the case, we suggest that you educate your patient on the reasons for filling replacements and document these conversations in your treatment notes. It is also a good idea to obtain your patient's signature signaling that they understand your fee and why they may be responsible for the replacement costs.

Your treatment notes that include the documentation describing the extenuating circumstances are helpful to us when making our determination.

In 2018, there has been a renewed emphasis in the Delta Dental National Processing Policy on the importance of treatment/clinical notes over narratives when submitting explanations on your predeterminations and claims. Treatment/clinical notes are considered a legal document, while narratives are not. The Processing Policy now states that “the only acceptable legal written documentation for utilization review are the contemporaneous treatment notes”. 

We appreciate your cooperation as we continue to request treatment notes over narratives. If you have any questions about this policy, the Professional Relations Team is happy to speak with you.

For quicker and more accurate processing of your appeal make sure you're providing all the information we need by using the Appeal Request form. You can access the Appeal Request form here.

What is Healthgrades®?

Healthgrades® offers information on health care providers as a free service to consumers, patients and other health care professionals. Healthgrades aggregates information related to provider practices from publicly available sources.

How do I get more information?

If you would like to learn more about your Healthgrades® provider profile, click here.

We have listened to your feedback and have eased our policy on processing periodontal maintenance claims for patients who have had a lapse in treatment.

Delta Dental of Kansas (DDKS) Periodontal Maintenance Policy Changes as of 2/20/18:

• DDKS will no longer request periodontal history within the last 24 months for 4910 periodontal maintenance. 
• The system is now looking for history of paid procedure codes 4240, 4241, 4260, 4261, 4341, 4342 &/or 4910 within the patient’s lifetime.
• If PAID history is found, the 4910 will automatically process as submitted.
• If no history is found, such as in the case of a patient with a new DDKS policy, a letter requesting additional information will be sent to the provider asking for chart notes documenting previous periodontal history and maintenance. Please send the chart notes for the original periodontal surgery or SRP and the last few D4910 perio maintenance visits.

If you have questions, please contact your Professional Relations Representative. 

We have listened to your suggestions and have extended the period of time that predeterminations are valid. If the predetermination on file is nearing its expiration date, contact customer service to request and extension.