HCD Headlines 11/24/2025

Rachael
Nov 24
4 min read

We're so grateful to all of you and all the hard work you've put in to make HCD what it is! To help you with your Thanksgiving dinner, DCH and DKM have Turkey Cards for all of the team. Please see me to pick yours up.

And please remember the office will be closed Thursday and Friday this week. We hope it's a great day with your loved ones whether or not you have turkey! ♥

December Schedule

Here is the schedule for December. Please note the times when the doctors are out for assistants. This will also be the last month of DKM coming in on Wednesdays and early Tuesdays.

Utilizing D4346

This is great information for all of our team: "Billing D4346 Without Denials: Documentation & Coverage Tips" from eAssist Dental Solutions. It's a great reminder on how to use the D4346 code for gingivitis. These details are necessary for all of our team in order to accurately code hygiene treatment.

Some of documentation necessities include:

A full periodontal charting,
Bleeding on probing (BOP) scores and inflammation notes,
Pocket depths (generally 4mm or less),
Clear evidence that there is no bone loss or clinical attachment loss,
Notes on plaque, calculus, and generalized inflammation across multiple quadrants, demonstrating and discussing an active disease process,
Radiographs that show intact bone support, and
Intraoral photographs showing red, swollen, inflamed, and bleeding gum tissue.

With this information, how do you feel we are doing at coding out D4346 when necessary? How are we doing at presenting this treatment to patients? How are we doing at documenting properly?

Gift Card Protocol

As a reminder, we have a referral program for our patients called, "Share the Health." This is for existing patients that refer new patients to our office. The caveat is the new patient MUST go through a comp exam in order to get a gift card. Limited exams and consults DO NOT qualify for this program. However, it is a great opportunity to convert that patient to a comp exam!

Notes Protocol

Whenever you interact with the patient regarding their care in person, on the phone, text, or email, we must record those notes in the correct place.

Office Journal:
- Text messages are now uploaded into the OJ directly. This includes emails that are sent through the PbN app.
- Letters printed from Dentrix are noted in the OJ, but their exact details are not transferred over.
- Phone calls, emails sent from Outlook, postcards, collection calls, and any other type of correspondence must be recorded in the OJ.
Appointment Notes: This should contain information such as patient requests, goals, and any additional information pertinent to the appointment. Be sure to always enter a dateline when adding this information and end the note with your initials.
Guarantor Notes: This is where all notes regarding finances go. If patients make financial arrangements, have comments, or any conversations had between you and the patient, it MUST be documented here. This should also include any requests to have credits refunded or credits asked to stay on the account.
- Insurance conversations, questions, or concerns will be here as well as in the insurance claim itself.
- Once the financial issue has been resolved, please copy and paste ALL documentation into the OJ. File under "Miscellaneous" and, for example, title it as "DOS 9-25-2025 G-notes" or "2025 Collections Issues."

Ibuprofen & Acetaminophen Combo

Interesting that we were just discussing this at our last team meeting and this article comes up in my feed. This is from Dentistry IQ, and it addresses this amazing combo of drugs that works better than narcotics for recovery from extractions.

Trials showed:

Faster onset: Clinically meaningful relief within about one hour.3

Sustained effect: Duration of relief for more than eight hours in both single and multiple dose settings for most patients.3

Worked better than either drug alone (ibuprofen 250 mg or acetaminophen 650 mg). In a dose-ranging pilot, pain relief lasted more than nine hours, with onset of less than one hour for ibuprofen/acetaminophen 200 mg to 300 mg / 500 mg.4

Read the full article HERE

I AM Statements

We started a good discussion regarding I AM statements at our last team meeting. Unfortunately, we were split up during the conversation, and I think the best part of that discussion happened between the admin and assistant departments. With that said, please keep working on developing your I AM statement regarding who you are at HCD.

Remember, you play an important role in the position you're in. As part of our agreements, you've agreed to Protect the Assets of the Practice and Coach and Be Coached. You are empowered to stand up for protocols that keep the practice running smoothly and our patients taken care of. You are empowered to ask questions when you require clarity.

You're also empowered to change. Just because you present one way on this day, doesn't mean that's who you're going to be forever. You can improve your skills and become a master of your position.

This will translate into your personal life. Seriously.

It's not 100% about the skill itself, but the challenge to acquire and implement that skill. That drive to BECOME something more than you are will translate to other areas of your life. So when we ask these things of you, please know that it's not just HCD that we're looking to develop. We want you to develop and become those I AM statements you wrote down.

We want doers, builders, visionaries... not people pleasers, time-clock punchers. Let's build together!

Christmas Gifts from DCH and DKM

As part of our Christmas party, DCH and DKM have given the team the option for a Nordic Spa gift certificate or a Alyeska Ski pass. Almost everyone chose the spa gift certificate. I'm sending the Nordic Spa certificates out to your personal email today. Please note there is a special going on that ends on 11/26. Schedule ASAP to be a part of that deal. Thank you all!

Please send your department one of the missed details you found at our last team meeting to show them you've read the headlines. And remember... EVERYONE in your department needs to read and respond in order to get an extra chip for our goals drawing.