Dental EOB processing is turning the paper explanation of benefits that arrives with an insurance check into postings: working out which claim each line belongs to, reading the amounts, and balancing the batch to the check. Elva reads every paper EOB down to the claim line, matches it to the patient and the claim, and keeps each check's batch open until it balances.
During training, nothing is posted until someone on your team confirms it. Every step Elva takes is logged in words.
In the 2024 CAQH Index (2023 data), dental plans reported 30% of claim payments by EFT and 39% of remittance advice by ERA, and dental providers reported a cost of $3.20 for each claim payment handled by hand against $1.84 electronically.1 The rest reaches the front desk as paper: a check with a four-page EOB, a faxed virtual card, a letter asking for an x-ray. Someone opens it, works out what it is, finds the patient and claim, keys the amounts and takes the check to the bank. At 100 paper EOBs a month and 6 minutes each, that is 10 hours a month, for example.
The mail comes once a day and the faxes come all day, usually while a patient is at the desk. One envelope can hold a check that pays nine patients, a denial for a tenth, and a missing page.
None of it is hard. It is a lot of small steps, done by hand, by someone who is also answering the phone. The amount of it, arriving in too many ways, is the problem.
The work is not the problem. The volume of it is.
A paper EOB arrives through Document Center, however it came in: fax, upload, an iPad photo or a download Elva fetched itself. Elva reads each claim line (procedure codes, paid amounts and adjustment codes) and matches it to the patient and the claim in your practice system. Sorting and filing of the rest of the mail is covered on the Document Center page.
If an amount is smudged or cut off, Elva works it out three ways: from the check total minus the other claims, from the payer's allowed amount and the plan's percentage, and from the payer's portal. It calls the payer if it has to. Only when all of that fails does the EOB come to a person, with every try shown and only the unreadable values left to type.
A check's claims go into one batch, which Elva closes only when it balances to the check. During training your team confirms each posting; the posting itself is described on the payment posting page. Checks are followed to the bank, and virtual cards get their own list.
Paper in. Read, matched and balanced.
Every claim on the EOB, with its procedure codes, paid amounts and adjustment codes.
PDF, JPG, PNG or HEIC. One file can hold many EOBs; Elva splits them.
Each claim line matched to the patient and the claim in your practice system.
From the check total, the allowed amount and plan percentage, and the payer's portal. A call to the payer if it has to.
Elva signs in to the payer's portal and downloads the EOB itself when a page is missing or hard to read.
A check's claims post into one batch, which Elva closes only when it balances.
An EOB that arrives twice, by fax and by portal, is caught and skipped.
Their own list, masked to the last 4 digits, a 60-second reveal that is logged, and charging by Elva. The full number is deleted after charging.
Every paper check is tracked until a bank statement shows it deposited.
See Elva read your own payers' EOBs in a 20-minute demo, and show what your team sees when one is hard to read.
Elva's paper EOB processing works with Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Open Dental, Eaglesoft, Curve Dental, Denticon and CareStack, and every feature on this page is available on all seven. It finds the patient and the claim in your practice system, writes the posting into it, and files a copy of each document in the patient's documents, so the record lives where your team already looks.
Your ERAs stay where they are. You keep your clearinghouse and your ERA enrollment; electronic payments are posted on the same rules, as described on insurance payment posting.
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| By hand | With Elva | |
|---|---|---|
| Working out what it is | Someone reads every page | Elva reads every page and sends it where its work happens |
| Finding the claim | Searching the practice system, patient by patient | Each claim line matched to the patient and the claim |
| A missing page | A portal visit or a call, then back to the stack | Elva fetches the page from the portal, or calls the payer |
| A smudged amount | Guess, or call | Checked against the check total, the allowed amount and the portal |
| Posting | Keyed line by line, balanced at the end | One batch per check, closed only when it balances |
| Filing | Scan, rename, attach to the patient | A copy in the patient's documents in your practice system |
| Paper checks | A deposit log, if there is one | Every check tracked until a bank statement shows it deposited |
| Virtual cards | Card numbers on a fax on the desk | Masked to the last 4 digits, every look logged, the full number deleted after charging |
One fax number, one scan folder, one tray. Paper that arrives in three places gets posted from three places, and some of it gets missed.
A denial letter or a request for an x-ray often rides along with the check. If it is not scanned, it is not worked.
Do not close the batch until the claims add up to the check. A batch that is a few dollars off is a missing line or a misread amount, and it is easier to find today than at month-end.
Payer portals often carry the full EOB.
When a patient calls about a balance, the EOB should be one click away.
Payer, check number, amount, date posted, date deposited. Follow up on any check that has not shown up after two statements.
Limit who sees them, charge the exact amount, and destroy the number once the charge goes through. Ask payers that keep paying by card to pay by EFT instead.
Faxes carry patient information. Keep a list of the services and payers that send to your number, and do not forward faxes to personal inboxes.
Dental EOB processing is turning the explanation of benefits that comes with an insurance payment into postings: reading each claim line, matching it to the patient and the claim, and balancing the batch to the check. Elva does this for paper EOBs. Posting itself is covered on insurance payment posting, and sorting and filing of the rest of the mail is covered on Document Center.
Elva does not guess. When an amount is smudged or cut off, it works it out three ways: from the check total minus the other claims, from the payer's allowed amount and the plan's percentage, and from the payer's portal. During training your team confirms it. On autopilot, Elva posts a smudged amount on its own only when all three agree. If something still turns out wrong, anyone can press "This isn't right" and correct it, and every posting can be undone.
Not during training. Your team confirms about the first 100 postings, one at a time. After that, Elva suggests autopilot, and you turn it on or off yourself. Even then, each kind of payment, including claims from paper EOBs and smudged amounts, needs its own small number of confirmed postings first.
Open the mail, deposit the checks, and answer the questions only your practice can answer. A person reads an EOB only after Elva has tried the check total, the fee schedule, the payer's portal and a call to the payer. The EOB then shows as needing you, with every try listed. You type just the unreadable values, and Elva checks them against the totals before it posts.
Virtual cards get their own list, showing what each card pays and when it expires. The number is masked to the last 4 digits. "Show card details" reveals it for 60 seconds, and every look is logged. Your team can key the card into the card machine, or Elva can charge it through the card account Elva sets up for your location. After charging, Elva posts the payments and deletes the full card number. When a payer pays by card often, Elva offers to ask it to pay by EFT instead.
You still deposit it. Elva posts the EOB and lists the check, with whether it is posted and whether a bank statement shows it deposited. A check that is missing from two statements after it was posted is flagged for a person. Matching deposits to payments is covered on insurance deposit reconciliation.
ERAs stay with your clearinghouse and your practice system; Elva reads electronic payments through your practice system and posts them on the same rules. Elva signs a business associate agreement with every practice. The fax address accepts faxes only from the senders you list, and faxes that match no patient are deleted after 30 days. One-time portal sign-in codes go to Elva's own phone number and email, never to your team, and every call Elva makes opens by saying it is Elva, an automated assistant calling for your practice, and that the call is recorded.
Elva's team sets it up before go-live: your fax address and the senders it accepts, access to your payers' portals, and your payer settings. There is no self-serve setup. Elva will not collect your mail or deposit your checks, and it will not change what the dentist charted.
See Elva work through your own payers' EOBs in a 20-minute demo.
1 CAQH, 2024 CAQH Index (2023 data), dental section. Dental plan electronic funds transfer adoption for claim payment: 30%. Remittance advice by ERA: 39%. Provider cost per claim payment: $3.20 manual and $1.84 electronic. caqh.org
Dentrix, Dentrix Ascend, Open Dental, Eaglesoft, Curve Dental, Denticon and CareStack are trademarks of their respective owners.
