These are provided in hard copy. These attachments serve to satisfy payers' desires to verify diagnosis in determining allowable benefits. Some payers have an almost 100 percent request for claims attachments while others seldom request them. Again, it is our position that eliminating attachment requests altogether should be the industry goal. Standardization could reduce the frequency of requests and provide uniformity to the process, thereby reducing costs.
Attachments serve to satisfy payers' desire to verify diagnosis in determining allowable benefits.
Dental claims attachments are part of the medical record and, therefore, deserve all the protections accorded by medical privacy and confidentiality laws and regulations. Rarely, if ever, is the entire dental record submitted. Attachments should only be submitted when specifically requested by the carrier to adjudicate the claim. Standardization would reduce costs, reduce the number of claims returned for incomplete information, and improve the overall processes of providing oral health care. With regard to dental claims, it should be recognized that requests for attachments tend to be redundant to the information included on the standardized claim form.