Don’t Overlook Unbilled Procedures

As dental offices tackle the ongoing tasks that keep their practices running smoothly, one high-impact, often-overlooked task is reviewing the “Procedures Not Billed” report. While many offices stay on top of this daily, some procedures can still slip through the cracks. Taking a few minutes to review unbilled procedures can make a significant difference to your bottom line.

Where to Find “Procedures Not Billed”

To get started, open the Manage Module in Open Dental and select Send Claims > Procs Not Billed. You can also access this through the Reports menu.

1. Adjust the Date Range: Set the date range to the past 365 days. This captures any procedures that might still be eligible for claim submission within typical insurance timely filing limits.

2. Review Each Procedure: Sort through the list of unbilled procedures. Ideally, this list should always be blank, so if anything appears, it indicates action is required.

3. Decide on Each Procedure: For any codes on this list, either:

   • Send them to insurance, or

   • Mark them as “No Bill Insurance” if they’re not meant for submission.

Why Leaving Procedures Unbilled Hurts Your Office

Unsent procedures create lingering issues in your patients’ accounts. If a procedure remains unsent, the software assumes you intend to submit it to insurance, holding an estimated insurance portion on the account. This creates confusion about where to apply patient payments, often leading to accounting discrepancies that can disrupt your financial reporting and reconciliation.

Make Unbilled Procedures Part of Your Routine

If your office doesn’t already check the “Procedures Not Billed” report daily, consider adding it to your end-of-day tasks or claim batching routine. Regularly reviewing this report prevents costly errors and ensures your team captures all revenue opportunities. Many offices have recovered thousands of dollars by implementing this one small step.

By taking a few minutes to review unbilled procedures, your practice can maintain cleaner accounts, a more accurate A/R, and a healthier bottom line.