Change in WI Assignment of Dental Benefits

A recent state statute passed by the WI legislature (Assembly Bill 62) mandates that dental payments be paid directly to the provider if the patient chooses.

The statute specifically mentions "dental benefits under medical insurance." From what we have found so far, dental-only plans are not required to follow this legislation. However, Delta Dental seems to be obliging, even though they are not required.
 
As it relates to Delta specifically, patients who use Delta can assign their benefits directly to you (the dental office). This means Delta pays you directly for covered services. In theory, this is supposed to simplify the billing process and avoid the need for patients to handle reimbursements themselves.

Patients are still responsible for any remaining balances, such as co-pays, deductibles, or services not covered by their plan, but this change is supposed to ease financial and administrative burdens for both the office and patients. Hopefully this shouldn’t complicate anything for your office manager, but it will likely create some delays in collections for patients who decide to assign their benefits to you.