This is a conversation with a dentist regarding the handling of insurance checks.

Dentist: My staff cannot access insurance checks that are mailed to my office.

Me: How do you accomplish that?

Dentist: I have a lockbox that only I can access. On my way to work each day, I pick up the mail from the lockbox. When I get at the office, I open all the insurance checks and make a photocopy of each one. I then give all of the insurance checks and envelopes to my staff for posting. At the end of the day, I just compare the photocopies I made in the morning, against the checks that are in the day end deposit.

Me: That is a good system, but it requires you to make photocopies each morning. Instead of photocopying each check, why don’t you just remove the check from the envelope, and give your staff the payment details? (i.e: the payment “stub”) Your staff do not need the physical check in their hand to post a payment – all they need is the payment stub.

Dentist: That’s a great idea, I never thought it before.

Me: …and while you’re at it, sign up for EFT with every insurance company that offers it. Instead of receiving checks in the mail, payments are directly deposited into your bank.  This way, there’ll be even less for you to do each morning. :-)