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The company that created the simplest and most effective dental sleep apnea program used in practices across the country reveals how you can….
SAVE A PATIENT’S LIFE
By following proven protocols, your staff will work together as a team to identify patients in your dental practice with sleep apnea; get them on treatment; and maximize health insurance reimbursement. Our simple-to-use program allows your team to focus on what you do best - providing great patient care - and we handle all the details that typically doom dental sleep apnea programs. Learn how quickly you can be helping your patients and building practice revenue.
When I started Better Sunrise in 2010 as a sleep testing lab, I began working with a couple of dentists who wanted to offer oral appliance therapy to treat sleep apnea. In both cases, they had directly experienced the dangers of untreated sleep apnea. One dentist told me that his office manager’s husband had been a 52 year old firefighter, who had a fatal heart attack during his sleep that was attributed to undiagnosed, untreated sleep apnea. After that experience, he decided to learn how to provide oral appliance therapy.
My journey into the world of sleep apnea began some years before. I had a medical sales job that paid my family’s bills. With no warning, I got fired. At the time my wife and I had a new home with a mortgage; 2 young daughters – and suddenly, no salary, no insurance benefits; no expense account. I had always wanted to start my own company and my wife encouraged me to use the opportunity to take a shot. It was really difficult for me to envision quitting my job and sacrificing financial security, to start my own company, but the universe gave me an opening. The first company I started was a medical supply business.
If you’re like me, you want to do it yourself - “so it’s done right”.
My first mistake, of many, was to try to do everything myself. One of the most successful product lines I marketed was CPAP equipment. I was getting referrals from sleep labs and pulmonologists throughout the midwest and soon I had CPAP patients needing not only CPAPs, but service and replacement supplies. I took pride in offering great service and the goal was to provide our CPAP patients with the supplies, services and equipment for as long as they needed. I saw every new order as an ongoing future income stream.
Trying to do it all myself cost me a lot more than I realized
I started with a desk, a phone and a computer in the corner of my basement. I built a network of doctors who loved sending patients to our company. Of course since I was just getting started I wore all the hats: sales; customer service; billing; marketing; shipping; ordering and on and on. I couldn’t keep up but I felt I needed to do it ALL myself. I didn’t want to pay for what I could do myself and I didn’t want anything to go wrong. Even though the high school kid next door was super reliable, and looking for a part time job, I resisted hiring him - even to just pack boxes! I just couldn’t at the time see there was a better way; how it would have been possible to make my life easier and build my company so much faster.
I wish I heard this proverb back then...
“If you want to go fast….. go alone.
If you want to go far…. go together.”
I eventually hired the high school kid who, of course, worked out great and stayed on part time with me all through college and beyond. I was able to focus on what I did best for my business (sales) and hired out tasks that others did well - even better than me! I was happier with my work and my business grew and prospered.
The keys are knowing what to outsource and finding the right provider
My company really took off when I spent my time working at what I did best, and hired out the tasks that were important but that I couldn’t (and didn’t really want to) do. I was happier and more focused and the results were way better. Having the right team members was transformational.
How does this all relate to your dental practice?
I have worked with so many dentists that took clinical training in sleep apnea dentistry and were really excited to begin treating patients but quickly became so frustrated with the process that they stopped offering this treatment altogether. It is so easy to get training on sleep apnea dentistry; and many educational courses make it sound like that’s really all you need to run a successful dental sleep apnea program. Your office staff will just handle the rest - right? Sleep apnea treatment is unlike implants; whitening; Invisalign. A sleep apnea oral appliance is considered medical equipment and is covered by health insurance, not dental. When patients want to know how much insurance will cover and how much the treatment will cost them out of pocket, this creates big problems for many dental practices.
News Flash: Getting paid by health insurance plans for treating sleep apnea is NOT easy
If you are thinking your office staff will just take care of the insurance reimbursement for the sleep appliance, think again. If you have already tried this route, you know how difficult it can be. The number one reason that dentists stop treating sleep apnea is not because the appliances are difficult to provide, or that there is a lack of patients to treat - the main reason that dentists stop treating sleep apnea is frustration with health insurance reimbursement. Your staff and your patients can get so frustrated that the whole process no longer seems worthwhile.
There is a better way!
These are the problems that sink most dental sleep apnea programs
If you are already treating sleep apnea you probably have encountered one or more of these common problems:
Difficulty with health insurance reimbursement
The number one reason that dental practices stop treating sleep apnea is that insurance reimbursement can be challenging. Sleep apnea is a medical condition and the oral appliance can only be provided by a licensed dentist, but it is considered medical equipment and is covered by health insurance, not dental insurance. Checking on coverage and benefits; getting pre-authorization for services; submitting claims; resolving claim denials - are all very different in the medical arena than they are for your staff working with dental insurance plans. Patients want to know what to expect their insurance will cover and what their out of pocket cost will be; when claims are denied it can create frustration for your staff and your patients.
Order from medical doctor is required
Sleep apnea is a medical condition, and must be diagnosed by a physician.The oral appliance can only be provided by a licensed dentist, but it is actually considered medical equipment, and must be ordered by a physician. Many health insurance plans will cover sleep apnea oral appliance therapy, however a physician order will be required. Even with a completed sleep study report to document the diagnosis of sleep apnea and the medical necessity for treatment. a prescription from the patient’s physician is required. Without an MD order, dentists will not only have difficulty with insurance reimbursement, but more importantly, will not be on solid medical / legal ground to provide treatment.
Valid diagnostic sleep study report is required
The gold standard documentation of the presence and severity of sleep apnea is a sleep study. A sleep study will show, among other data, an Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) score. Any score above 5 indicates sleep apnea. Sleep studies can be done at home; in hospitals or in free standing sleep labs. Wherever the test is conducted, it must be interpreted and signed by a physician board certified in sleep medicine. Without a sleep study showing an AHI >5, there is no way to document the presence and severity of sleep apnea or the necessity for treatment. A common reason for insurance claim denials for sleep apnea oral appliance therapy, is a missing or invalid sleep study; this includes studies that are negative, i.e., AHI <5.
Some patients will bring a copy of a sleep study with them to your office. For the patients who have not been diagnosed, the question becomes, what will you do about getting a sleep study performed? Where will you refer the patient? Who can you trust to offer your patient an accurate and valid sleep study; charge fairly; and not steal your patient - providing CPAP or some other treatment rather than oral appliance therapy?
Dental patients are lost to sleep labs and CPAP
If a dental patient has never been diagnosed with sleep apnea, dentists often suggest the patient contact their primary care physician to arrange for a sleep study, and instruct the patient to then return to their dental office with the completed sleep study to get started on oral appliance therapy. The problem that often occurs is that the PCP will generally refer your patient to a local sleep lab, that is accustomed to starting patients on CPAP if they test positive for sleep apnea. Your patient, who may have had no interest in a CPAP, will likely return to your office already having started on a CPAP machine. You may then have to wait until the patient discontinues treatment with their CPAP before providing oral appliance therapy.
Office staff do not understand the process
A common scenario is for the dentist to take clinical training in sleep apnea dentistry and then come back to the office with plans to provide sleep appliances. If the dentist is the only person in the office who understands the basics of sleep apnea dentistry and the staff are left out of the loop, this is a recipe for a short lived program. It is very important for the office staff to work together as a team and communicate with patients and with one another, to identify patients in the practice with sleep apnea or at risk; get them on treatment; and maximize health insurance reimbursement.
Staff do not talk about sleep apnea with patients
Conversations are the key. Patients don’t typically come in for a cleaning and walk out with impressions for a sleep appliance; that’s not how it works. If your staff understands the dangers of untreated sleep apnea and how the oral appliance can help, and if they have conversations to educate patients - your practice will help a lot more patients; save lives; and build revenue. If your staff are like most people, they will avoid conversations with patients if they are not clear about the impact of untreated sleep apnea; the benefits of oral appliance therapy and how the sleep apnea program works in your office; your sleep apnea results will be limited.
Most dental OSA programs are eventually abandoned
Unfortunately, even though treating sleep apnea with oral appliance therapy can lower the risk of some of the most common and dangerous chronic health conditions, most dental practices that start a sleep apnea program eventually find they are no longer treating these patients. Why? It is not because oral appliance therapy is difficult to provide; certainly compared with other dental procedures. It is not because there is a lack of patients who need and want this treatment.
Often dental sleep apnea programs dwindle because the administrative tasks that are required for a sleep apnea case to move smoothly are too detail intensive and time consuming for dental office staff to handle in between all their other duties. And this is exactly the route that most practices take. Sure, you can tell yourself that your office staff can handle all these tasks and that every sleep apnea case you do will go smoothly - but do you really believe that? If you have tried that approach - how well has it worked? Does it really make sense to increase the workload on your staff? Tasks that they may not be at all comfortable or confident doing? The results of this approach are usually less than ideal.
Focus on your Core Strength to Succeed
Every successful organization focuses its resources on what it does best, to get the maximum return on investment on those resources. In a dental practice, the time and work you and your staff have invested developing expertise generates trust in your patients; this is a precious resource. If that is squandered by having team members trying unsuccessfully to deal with health insurance claims, or understand what documentation is needed for insurance coverage on a case - it won’t be long before it becomes clear to all that “treating sleep apnea is just not worth it.”
Dentists and dental hygienists are the ideal health professionals to address sleep apnea, for a number of reasons. Many patients don’t even have a primary care physician; they will go to the ER or urgent care if there is a problem. These same patients may be in to see their dentist and hygienist every 6 months for a cleaning. This is a perfect opportunity to educate patients about the health risks of untreated sleep apnea and the benefits of treatment. In addition, dentists can overcome the two biggest obstacles patients have to going forward with treatment for sleep apnea: 1. patients don’t want to go to a hospital or sleep lab overnight for a study; and 2. most don’t want to use a CPAP. By offering a home sleep study instead of an overnight lab test, at a fraction of the cost, and treatment with the oral appliance rather than CPAP, you can eliminate the two biggest objections many patients have to getting treatment for their sleep apnea.
There are many pieces of the dental sleep apnea puzzle that are all needed to be in place to achieve a successful outcome in terms of optimizing clinical results and maximizing insurance reimbursement. Dental sleep apnea programs that thrive and are successful over the long term share some definite and measurable elements. Read on to learn what they are: how Better Sunrise can help you successfully complete more sleep apnea cases and build revenue. If you want to take the route most likely to be successful, consider how you can leverage the resources Better Sunrise offers to help implement a profitable and effective program in your practice! Rather than trying to re-create the wheel yourself, depend on the company that developed a simple and effective program now being used in hundreds of dental offices across the country.
I Created a Complete, Done-For-You Solution, Used in Dental Practices Across the U.S.
Here’s what you get:
A free, validated and proven to work screening tool to make it simple for your staff to identify patients in your practice at risk for sleep apnea.
Your staff will work together as a team to identify patients in the practice with sleep apnea - and have more impactful conversations everyday. More conversations means more appliance cases - it’s that simple.
Your staff will be trained on exactly what and how to communicate with patients.
A dedicated professional at Better Sunrise will be available live via phone or email to answer questions on cases, going forward.
Convenient and economical home sleep testing includes diagnosis and a physician order for treatment.
You will receive marketing pieces and patient education materials, proven to create more new sleep apnea cases in your practice every month.
Your office staff will never have to waste time trying to communicate with a health insurance plan customer service representative.
You will build a referral base of local primary care physicians; sleep specialists; cardiologists and pulmonologists to grow your dental sleep apnea program.
Your patients will know that their insurance plan paid the maximum benefits for treatment.
Your sleep apnea program will become more effective and more profitable over time.
That’s right! Better Sunrise handles all the logistical pieces that typically derail dental sleep apnea programs, so you and your staff can focus on your core strength - providing great patient care! By partnering with Better Sunrise, a seamless, profitable dental sleep apnea program will be operational in your practice and will get increasingly effective over time.
In order for the program to be useful, it had to require minimal staff time and workload; be simple to learn and manage; and yield maximum health insurance reimbursement for oral appliance therapy. We started with a good program in 2010, but over the years, with great suggestions from our dental clients, i.e. dentists just like you, we have tweaked and modified our services to make the program even more useful and simpler to manage for your office.
We now have the process so dialed in! With a 1 hour staff training and program launch meeting, you will have a fully functioning new dental sleep apnea business unit in your practice. Your staff will have a clear understanding of how to identify patients in the practice with sleep apnea; exactly what to say to patients to have an impactful conversation and convert as many prospective patients as possible to oral appliance therapy; and how to maximize health insurance reimbursement - while never communicating with a health insurance representative! And, over the long term, your staff will have a dedicated professional at Better Sunrise that they can speak with directly on the phone live, when needed, and who will be available to answer questions and resolve issues on a case by case basis, to get the best outcome in every case.
How Many Cleanings Need to Happen to Generate $2,500 in Revenue?
While saving lives and improving the health of patients is a key driver in dentists providing sleep apnea oral appliance therapy, the revenue this treatment generates is significant. Offices generally bill between $ 3,000 - $ 4,500 per case. Health insurance allowable amounts vary greatly from plan to plan, but even at a revenue level of $ 2,500, treating sleep apnea can build your bottom line.
There are a range of options to choose from when setting up dental sleep apnea programs. Dentists sometimes focus on the clinical aspects of sleep apnea care and expect that their office staff will take care of the billing and logistical details of providing oral appliance therapy. As we have covered, this approach is generally not successful. Billing companies can submit claims on your behalf - with a wide range in quality of these services. Some companies sell you software to do the billing on your own – good luck with that! The medical billing codes are not the hard part – understanding how to work the denials and get maximum benefits paid takes time and expertise. In terms of sleep testing, hospitals and sleep labs offer these studies, but are often not geared to working with dentists. Rather than a patchwork of providers with programs that may or may not mesh together, Better Sunrise offers a simple and comprehensive integrated solution.
How Better Sunrise Solves the Problems that Derail Dental Sleep Apnea Programs
THE BETTER SUNRISE SYSTEM IS IMPLEMENTED IN YOUR PRACTICE AS A FULLY
FUNCTIONAL NEW BUSINESS UNIT. YOUR STAFF IS TRAINED TO WORK TOGETHER
AS A TEAM TO IDENTIFY PATIENTS IN THE PRACTICE WITH SLEEP APNEA; GET
THEM ON TREATMENT; AND MAXIMIZE HEALTH INSURANCE REIMBURSEMENT -AUTOMATICALLY.
AND WE STAY WITH YOU EVERY STEP OF THE WAY!
YOUR TEAM WILL HAVE A DEDICATED PROFESSIONAL AT BETTER SUNRISE
AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS ON CASES GOING FORWARD
Let’s Take a Look at Each Obstacle…..And the Done-For-You Solution!
PROBLEM
SOLUTION
Problem: Difficulty with health insurance reimbursement
Solution: The Better Sunrise system is built to automatically maximize health insurance reimbursement on every case. Everything we do beginning with verifying insurance coverage and benefits; securing prior authorization; submitting claims and resolving claim denials is done with this end goal in mind. You won’t be paying a staff member to sit on hold for an hour trying to get information from a health insurance company. Imagine how it would feel to outsource that entire process – and get great results!
Problem: Order from medical doctor is required
Solution: A dental oral appliance can only be furnished by a licensed dentist; but it must be ordered by a physician. Without a physician order for oral appliance therapy, a dentist is not on solid medical or legal grounds to provide this treatment.
Every home sleep study that Better Sunrise performs includes a diagnosis and treatment recommendations by a board certified sleep physician. The prescription for treatment is automatically included, if indicated. If a study is done at another lab and there is no physician order for treatment, Better Sunrise coordinates getting a prescription from the patient’s physician.
Problem: Valid diagnostic sleep study report is required
Solution: Rather than sending patients to their primary care physician for a sleep test, Better Sunrise makes it possible for dentists in most states to offer home sleep testing. Patients are referred to Better Sunrise, and the home sleep study is overseen by a physician board certified in sleep medicine. It is more economical and convenient for patients and often yields more representative sleep study data because the test is performed in the patient’s normal sleeping environment.
Problem: Dental patients are lost to sleep labs and CPAP
Solution: Most hospital based and free standing sleep labs are geared to providing CPAP when patients are diagnosed with sleep apnea. Your patient, who may have no interest in a CPAP, may find that they are routed into CPAP because that is the normal workflow at most sleep labs. By offering home sleep testing through the dental practice, your patients are tested at home, and then instructed to return to your office for treatment and follow up.
Problem: Office staff do not understand the process
Solution: The Better Sunrise Dental Sleep Apnea Staff Training program is designed to have each dental office staff member be clear on how the sleep apnea process works in the practice, and how to guide patients along from screening, to diagnosis to treatment. The more your team understands how the sleep apnea program works in your office, the more comfortable and effective they will be at moving patients along in the process.
Problem: Staff do not talk about sleep apnea with patients
Solution: The Better Sunrise Dental Sleep Apnea Staff Training will educate your office team members about the consequences of untreated sleep apnea and the benefits of treatment. They will have the confidence and motivation to have conversations with patients. The more discussions your staff have with patients about sleep apnea and oral appliance therapy – the more patients you will help. It’s that simple.
Staff Training is the Key to an Effective Dental Sleep Apnea Program
No two dental practices are exactly alike but effective dental sleep apnea programs all share some common elements. The more well trained your office staff are in discussing sleep apnea with patients and the more clear they are on how the program works in your office, the better your program results will be. Staff members trained in sleep apnea and focused on talking with patients about the long term dangers of untreated sleep apnea and the benefits of treatment is the key to a successful dental sleep apnea program. No matter how you choose to design the sleep apnea program in your office, the one hour Dental Sleep Apnea Staff Training will give your dental team members all the information and confidence they will need to talk to patients; optimize treatment outcomes and maximize insurance reimbursement. This simple, focused training is the quickest way to launch an effective sleep apnea program in your practice.
If you are ready to take the next step, schedule a free, no obligation phone call to learn more and get started.
How the Better Sunrise Dental Sleep Apnea Staff Training Program Works:
We’ll schedule the live via Zoom training at your convenience
You will receive all the necessary forms and protocols to run the program
You will receive office marketing materials to promote the sleep apnea program
You will receive patient educational materials on the consequences of sleep apnea and the benefits of treatment
You and your staff will have access to unlimited, ongoing live phone support
Why me? Why Should You Work With Me?
David Dorn
Founder and President
I have been helping dentists with dental sleep apnea staff training; home sleep testing services and getting paid by health insurance plans for treating sleep apnea since 2003. I have set up countless successful dental sleep apnea programs across a wide array of practices. Spending two decades learning what strategies and messaging works best in which scenarios - and what approaches generally are more effective, has given me a solid base of expertise which can be very valuable to you. You don’t need to waste time reinventing the wheel; the training and protocols we teach at Better Sunrise are informed by practitioners just like you; time tested and proven to work. But don’t take my word for it - check out the testimonials from some of our clients!
What is your goal?
If it is to find the lowest cost for submitting medical claims for oral appliance therapy, then no, Better Sunrise is not for you. There are plenty of medical billing companies who will submit medical claims cheaper. If you don’t want to invest any time or money in having your staff trained on how to work with sleep apnea patients, Better Sunrise is not for you.
But, if you want to:
Achieve the best clinical results from sleep apnea treatment
Maximize health insurance reimbursement on every case
Minimize the time and workload on your office staff in managing billing issues
Have a smooth running sleep apnea program that gets stronger over time
Better Sunrise is for you!
Many of our most satisfied clients are dentists who tried to implement a dental sleep apnea program; got frustrated and stopped providing oral appliance therapy. If your goal is to have a smooth running program; and have your office staff working together as a team to deliver great treatment and maximize insurance reimbursement, you are in the right place.
What you WON’T get…
I will never waste your time.
I will not try to sell you equipment or services you don’t need.
You will not be locked into a long term contract.
You will not be required to buy any additional products or services
What you WILL get…
A fully functional new business unit generating revenue for treating sleep apnea in your practice
Staff training in sleep apnea dentistry.
Dental sleep apnea marketing resources for use in your office.
Sleep apnea patient education materials on the dangers of untreated sleep apnea and the benefits of oral appliance therapy.
Ongoing live, phone or email support from a dedicated dental sleep apnea professional at Better Sunrise.
All the training, forms, protocols and resources needed for a successful dental sleep apnea program.
A free, validated screening tool to help your staff identify patients in the dental practice with sleep apnea, and training on using it in the office.
An ongoing flow of new revenue from providing life changing care to your patients
For more information, set up a free, no obligation phone call with me:
Testimonials
“We at Triangle Family Dentistry cannot express how thankful we are for David and his team at Better Sunrise! They are always available to answer any questions that arise in a very timely manner, they are professional and courteous. The ease of their system is amazing from the very first point of contact. They truly care about helping not only the office but the patient as well. If I was able to give more than 5 stars, I definitely would. Keep Smiling Team!”
Alicia Rollinger -Triangle Family Dentistry
“David and his team at Better Sunrise exuberate outstanding customer service. Highly recommend!”
Drew DeZwaan -DDS
“Our 6 offices utilize Better Sunrise for both home sleep tests and our medical insurance verification for our sleep appliance cases. David is always incredibly responsive with any correspondence, clearly has a lot of experience with sleep medicine, and very organized. He traveled from Chicago to North Carolina to spend some time with our teams to do lunch and learns regarding sleep medicine and spent some time in each office shadowing our clinical teams providing advice where he could. Overall we have had nothing but a great experience with David and his company and look forward to many more years together!”
Danielle Jones -Triangle Family Dentistry
“Great training experience with David, very comprehensive and thorough!”
Swetha Nimmagadda - DDS
“Really refreshing to have a real team working with you! Our dental practice in New York has been working with David Dorn and his team at Better Sunrise Corp. for several years. They have been helping us with the insurance and medical billing for our patient’s sleep tests and treatment of their sleep issues. They always make it easy for our staff.
We recently went through an entirely new application and enrollment of our Medicare participation. A lengthy and difficult process. David and his team have been extremely helpful and supportive in getting this done successfully. We are so appreciative of how easy it is to reach David or anyone on his staff and we always get a quick response when leaving a message.
In addition to sleep medicine, Better Sunrise Corp. also does medical billing and we look forward to our continued relationship with them.”
Rose Hindin - The Hindin Center
FAQ’s
Does insurance cover oral appliance therapy?
Sleep apnea oral appliance therapy is covered by health insurance, not by dental insurance plans.
How much do insurance companies pay for oral appliance therapy?
Health insurance allowable amounts for oral appliance therapy vary greatly. Allowable amounts generally range between $ 1,500 - $ 3,500. There is an important distinction to note in terms of insurance allowable amounts and payment amounts. For example, an insurance plan may allow $ 3,000 for an oral appliance, but if the deductible on the insurance plan is $ 5,000 and $0 has been met, the full allowable amount will be applied to the deductible and no payment will be issued.
How can I find out how much the insurance company will pay?
Contracted, in-network providers with health insurance plans can access a plan fee schedule by code and see the plan allowable amount. For non-contracted or out-of-network providers, there is no published fee schedule; allowable amounts are determined at the time of claim processing.
How is obstructive sleep apnea diagnosed?
Sleep apnea is diagnosed during a sleep study. Either a facility based polysomnogram or a home sleep test can determine the AHI (Apnea Hypopnea Index). Any AHI greater than 5 indicates the presence and severity of sleep apnea. In order to be valid, a sleep study must be interpreted and signed by a physician board certified in sleep medicine.
How can I tell if a patient may have sleep apnea before recommending a sleep test?
There are a number of screening tools that are useful at assessing the risk of sleep apnea. Pulse oximeters are often used as a screening tool; oxygen desaturations are often attributable to sleep disordered breathing. There are many other dental signs and symptoms of sleep apnea that are easily discernable in the dental practice. And some clinical conditions are highly correlated with sleep apnea; learning how they are related can help develop the picture of sleep apnea risk.
How much does a sleep test cost?
An in-lab or hospital sleep study generally ranges from $ 3,000 - $ 5,000. At home sleep testing fees are typically $ 300 - $ 850.
What does the sleep study measure?
Depending on the testing device, different parameters may be evaluated. An in-lab polysomnogram uses 32 electrodes on the head, neck and torso; collects a wide range of data; and can diagnose many different forms of sleep disordered breathing. Home sleep testing devices are generally designed to diagnose obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of sleep disordered breathing. Home sleep testing units often measure: blood oxygen levels; respiratory effort; airflow; snoring; and pulse rate.