All You Need to Know: Automated Payment Posting with Remit AI + Open Dental

''The payment posting takes a ton of my time.' So lamented a Reddit user as they described in excruciating detail the manual steps of manually matching cleared payments with the corresponding claims in the Practice Management System (PMS). Dental payment posting is a critical yet time-consuming part of dental billing that directly impacts cash flow and revenue cycle efficiency.. According to the 2024 CAQH Index Report, healthcare providers spend up to 20% of their revenue cycle costs on manual administrative tasks. That's money that could fund better patient care, competitive salaries, or practice expansion.

Automated dental payment posting transforms this process by leveraging technology to post payments to patient ledgers quickly and accurately.

In this article, discover how automated payment posting works, its benefits, the challenges of manual posting, and why DSOs and dental groups especially should adopt automation with tools like Remit AI integrated with Open Dental.

What Is Automated Payment Posting in Dental Billing?

Automated payment posting (also called auto-posting or ERA autoposting) uses intelligent software to read electronic remittance advice files and automatically post payments to the correct patient accounts in your dental practice management system.

Instead of your billing or posting specialist manually opening each ERA, cross-referencing claim numbers, calculating adjustments, and updating patient ledgers one by one, the system handles it automatically—processing payments 24/7 with consistent accuracy.

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Remit AI's Auto-Posting for Open Dental: How It Works

Remit AI's payment posting automation for Open Dental isn't just theory—it's a proven system that dental practices are using right now to streamline their revenue cycle.

Payment posting automation handles the full reconciliation workflow: ERA ingestion, payment-to-claim matching, ledger updates, and exception management. Staff intervention is only required for flagged discrepancies.

Key features include:

• Status Tracking: A color-coded status bar shows autoposting progress (e.g., purple for in-progress, deep purple for completed).
• Issue Alerts: Blue status flags require user adjustments, e.g., contract discrepancies or payment mismatches.
• Manual Overrides: Users can manually retry autopost attempts if errors occur.
• Filtering: View payment status by idle, in progress, pre-posted (issues found), or autoposted.

When autoposting succeeds, claims close automatically in the ledger. If pre-posted, claims remain open for review and adjustment.

Four Game-Changing Features That Make Remit AI Essential for Dental Practices

1. Pre-Posting Transparency Gives You Control

Unlike black-box automation that either works or doesn't, Remit AI's pre-posting feature puts you in the driver's seat. When the system encounters plan discrepancies or contract mismatches, it doesn't make assumptions—it shows you the details and lets your billing specialist make the call.

This approach dramatically reduces errors in dental revenue cycle management while still capturing the efficiency gains of automation.

2. Beyond EFTs: Check Payments Get the Same Treatment

Most dental billing automation tools only handle electronic payments. Remit AI goes further.

Once your billing manager or posting specialist manually clears a check payment, the system can autopost it just like an EFT. This means your entire payment, electronic and paper, flows through one consistent, automated process.

3. Customization for Your Practice's Unique Needs

Every dental practice has a different setup. Maybe you don't charge patients for certain procedures. Perhaps you have unique contractual arrangements with specific payers. Remit AI can be programmed to handle these exceptions. These custom rules help the bot know exactly how to handle your practice's specific requirements and automatically mark those special cases as posted without manual intervention.

4. Analytics Dashboard

Built-in reporting gives your practice administrator or the practice owner the insights needed to continuously improve dental claims processing. You can

• Generate detailed reports reviewing incomplete auto-postings and postings with adjustments
• Verify accuracy across claims to confirm everything was applied correctly
• Spot exceptions fast so your team can resolve issues before they become payment delays

This visibility transforms payment posting from a mysterious black box into a transparent, optimizable process.

Since adopting the system, practices like Ponce Dental Studio report dramatically faster payment posting and freed-up time to focus on higher-value activities. They saw
- 3x increase in productivity.

- Unit cost for manual posting improved from $2.70 to about $2.00 per claim payment.

- 49.46% of all payments were successfully posted automatically, without any manual intervention,

“Since adopting Remit AI’s Posting Automation feature, our payment posting process has become significantly faster and more efficient. We’ve seen a noticeable improvement in a short period of time. I do like the automatic posting because it massively decreases our time spent on posting and gives us more time to work on open claims and to help other team members with everything else.”

^{Ash Toub, Managing Director, Ponce Dental Studio, Atlanta, GA}

The improvement shows up not just in AR metrics, but in staff satisfaction and overall practice performance.

Benefits of Automating Payment Posting for DSOs and Dental Groups

• Boost Accuracy Across Multiple Locations: Automation reduces manual errors in payment posting, ensuring consistent, reliable financial records throughout your group of practices.
• Speed Up Cash Flow for Growing Practices: By posting payments promptly, your network of 2-9 offices can reduce accounts receivable (AR) days and improve overall cash flow.
• Maximize Staff Productivity: Automation frees up your billing managers and posting specialists to tackle high-value tasks like managing open claims, so your teams can focus on growth and patient care.
• Flexible to Your Practice Group’s Needs: Customize workflows to fit your unique billing rules—whether that means exempting certain procedures from patient charges or handling different insurance arrangements across locations.
• Clear Insights Across Your Practices: A centralized analytics dashboard lets you track autoposting status, spot exceptions quickly, and manage adjustments efficiently across all your sites.

Remit AI's integration with Open Dental offers a practical, proven path forward. With intelligent automation that gives your team control, transparency, and flexibility, you get the efficiency gains without sacrificing accuracy or oversight.

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How can automated payment posting work in your practice? Explore Remit AI's Open Dental integration and discover how dental practices are transforming their revenue cycle management, one automated payment post at a time.

Eliminate manual posting headache NOW.

FAQ

What Is Autoposting in Dental Billing?

Autoposting automates the entry of insurance payments into your dental PMS, minimizing manual work and errors.

How Does Automated Payment Posting Work?

Payment posting bots ingest ERA files, match payments to claims, update patient ledgers automatically, and notify users of any issues for intervention.

What if my practice still receives paper checks?

Remit AI handles both EFTs and checks. Once a check is marked as cleared, it’s posted just like an electronic payment.

Will automated payment posting replace my billing or posting specialist?

No, it will make them more efficient. Instead of spending hours keying in payments, they focus on higher-value work like managing denials and open claims.

How Can I Choose the Best Dental Payment Posting Software?

Focus on PMS integration, automation features, customizable workflows, and robust reporting capabilities.

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