Increasing Digital Payment Adoption in the Dental Sector

An ECHO^® Solutions Brief. Learn How The ECHO Solution For Dental Plans Can Accelerate Digital Payment Adoption.

The Problem: Lack of Digital Payment Adoption in the Dental Sector

Dental plans and their providers have begun a significant shift toward digital transformation in recent years. One key aspect of this transformation is the adoption of digital payments. While digital payments offer numerous advantages, the overall adoption of these technologies remains low. Out of $90 billion in dental claim payments in 2022, only 21.2% were reported as digital. This raises an interesting question: Why are dental plans leaving an estimated savings of $60 billion on the table?

Barriers to Adoption

1. Limited Integration
   Many dental practices still rely heavily on traditional payment methods, such as paper checks, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming for staff.
2. Security Concerns
   Dentists manage sensitive patient information, making security a top priority. Some practices are hesitant to adopt digital payment solutions due to concerns about data breaches and fraud.
3. Varied Technology and Legacy Systems
   Dental practices use varying technology, creating the need for custom integrations with each practice. To further complicate processes, many dental practices use legacy software systems that cannot seamlessly integrate with most digital payment solutions.

The Solution: Driving Digital Payment Adoption

Digital payments can transform the dental sector by improving efficiency, security, and the overall payment experience. To accelerate adoption, dental plans, and their providers should consider a full-scale payment solution that integrates with existing systems and lets providers choose how to receive their payments and remittance information. Enabling other digital options beyond EFT will allow health plans to increase digital adoption without forcing providers into a form of digital payment that may be more labor-intensive than even a paper check.

Benefits of Digital Payment Adoption

Cost Savings
Eliminate costly print and mail costs. Providers can experience reduced paperwork, reduced manual data entry into accounting systems, and reduced time to payment.

Improved Efficiency
Digital payments reduce administrative tasks, freeing staff to focus on patient care and running the business.

Competitive Advantage
Practices that embrace digital payments gain a competitive edge by offering modern and convenient payment options and optimizing enterprise decision-making.

Download the full solutions brief below.