The American Dental Association (ADA) has partnered with Wonderbox Technologies, Mequon, Wis, to create a new, centralized dental provider credentialing database and website.
When launched, the new system will allow dental professionals to enter their credentials in a securely designed web portal on the ADA’s website and then have those credentials available to all payers. According to a press release, the advantage of the centralized web portal is that dental professionals will only need to enter their credentials one time, replacing the current method where dental professionals must respond individually to each payer request for their information.
The ADA is providing the usage of the credentialing database as a free service to all members and non-member dentists. An additional cost for the verification service will be required for non-members. Payers will go to a separate ADA web portal to download the information as raw or verified files for a nominal fee.
Up first is the launch of a pilot program in New Jersey, Nevada, and Kansas in June. A full rollout is expected later this summer.
“Through conversations with our dentist members, the ADA determined that responding to multiple requests for the same credentialing information from different dental payers is a time-consuming and costly administrative burden that takes away from time spent on patient care,” said Kathleen O’Loughlin, DMD, MPH, executive director of the ADA. “Building a centralized, comprehensive database as we are executing solves that issue.”
O’Loughlin added, “We chose to collaborate with Wonderbox Technologies on this project due to their deep understanding and involvement on both the provider and payer sides of the dental industry. The quality of their proven technology will deliver an outstanding user experience. They have been a tremendous, innovative partner in this process. We are excited about the credentialing database and believe it will solve an ongoing issue for our members.”
Credential information will be kept in a securely designed data warehouse that interfaces with the ADA website. The data warehouse will be maintained by Wonderbox Technologies on behalf of the ADA, which will retain full ownership of the information. The data input form is comprehensive and will meet the requirements for the state in which each dental professional practices.
The portal is also designed to save time and labor costs for payers by ensuring that the information they request is complete and available immediately. Currently, payers must send a request, wait for a response, check the information, and go back to the dental office if any information is inaccurate or incomplete.
Wonderbox Technologies is delivering the data warehouse, the web portals, and ongoing support.
