The Treatment Plan is vital for giving your patients information on recommended treatment, what insurance is expected to cover, and the estimated patient portion. In this post, we’ll cover receiving a preauthorization, changing notes, applying discounts, and using eClipboard to record a patient’s signature. Read on for additional resources that cover common situations, setup, and more!

Receive a Preauthorization

If you sent out a preauthorization, you will need to receive it to update the estimates.

First, double-click the preauthorization in the upper right.

Next, click By Procedure, then enter the insurance estimate.

The insurance and patient portion estimate on the treatment plan will update based on your entry.

When receiving a preauthorization, the preauth estimate will override the estimate originally created by Open Dental.

In this example, Open Dental estimated the procedure to be paid $160, but the preauthorization estimated the procedure to be paid at $100.

Note: If benefits have changed (e.g. they are over the annual max, procedure fee changed, etc) for a patient between the preauthorization being sent and the work being completed, you may need to send a new preauthorization. The preauthorization estimate will remain, regardless of available benefits. Send and receive a new preauthorization, or manually remove the override.

Treatment Plan Notes

The default note is determined in the Treatment Plan Module Preferences.

Patient treatment plans use the default note unless you have manually edited the note.

If a note was edited for the patient, it no longer uses the default (so updating the note in Preferences will not update it for the patient).

If you need to add a note, it is recommended you edit the note on the Saved Treatment Plan instead.

Use eClipboard to Sign Treatment Plans electronically

eClipboard users can use their practice’s tablet to present treatment to the patient. Select a Saved Treatment Plan, then click eClipboard. On the tablet, present the treatment to the patient, where it can be signed electronically. For additional instructions, see our Manual.

TECH TIP:  Want to automatically save signed treatment plans in the Images Module? See Image Categories.

Discounts

There are two ways to add manual discounts to your Treatment Plan.

The first is a percentage discount on the selected procedures.

1. Highlight the procedures you wish to apply a discount to.
2. Click Discount at the top.
3. Enter the percentage, then click OK.

Note: Enter 0 to undo the discount on the selected procedures.

The second way to apply a discount is to enter a cash amount on each procedure.

1. Double-click on the procedure.
2. Enter the dollar amount in the bottom right.
3. Click OK to apply the discount.

Note: Cash amount discounts have to be applied to each procedure individually. (e.g. $10 off vs 10%)

Additional Resources

See related blog posts:

• Are you recommending several treatment options to your patient? Did the patient deny treatment? What if the treatment is over multiple appointments? All this (and more) is covered in: Mastering the Treatment Plan
• Are your estimates not showing how you would expect? Use 4 Key Ingredients in a Successful Treatment Plan to see the information needed to create accurate treatment plans.
• Have additional questions? We probably covered them here: FAQs Answered: Treatment Plan Module

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Need help with your treatment plan? Feel free to Contact Us!