Dental lockbox: what it is and how it works
A dental lockbox is a mailing address, usually a PO Box, where payers send insurance checks and paper EOBs instead of the office. A bank lockbox deposits the checks and sends back images. Dental lockbox and PO Box services vary: some return images, some read the EOBs into data, and some post them into the practice system.
Also calledLockboxBank lockboxInsurance lockboxPO Box
By Dr. Maya Arnaout, DDS, VP of RevenuePublished 4 min read
How does a dental lockbox work?
The practice changes the address each payer mails payments to. Envelopes go to the lockbox instead of the front desk, where they are opened, the checks deposited and the EOBs scanned. What happens next depends on the service.
Payers handle the address change differently, often through the provider record or a change form. Expect stragglers, and keep checking the office mail for insurance envelopes until every payer on your list has confirmed.
What is the difference between a bank lockbox and a dental lockbox?
They differ most on two questions: whether anyone posts the EOB into your practice system, and whether anyone proves the deposit matches.
| Option | Who opens the mail | What you get back | Who posts to the PMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scan in-house | Your staff | Paper, and the scans you make | Your staff |
| Bank lockbox | The bank’s processing center | Usually images of checks and documents; what is included varies by bank | Your staff, from the images |
| Dental lockbox service | The service | Ask whether EOBs come back as images or as data | Ask whether the service posts into your practice system |
| ScoutIQ PO Box | ScoutIQ: EOBs and checks opened and scanned | Each EOB read line by line, posted, and booked to QuickBooks, NetSuite or Sage Intacct | ScoutIQ, with exceptions flagged to your team |
A lockbox is not posting
What should you ask a lockbox service?
- Who opens the mail, and how fast is each envelope scanned?
- Where does each check get deposited, and how does the deposit show on the bank statement?
- Do EOBs come back as images, or are they read into data line by line?
- Does anyone post the EOB into our practice management system, per procedure?
- Who matches each check to its EOB and to the bank deposit?
- Will you sign a Business Associate Agreement?
The paper EOB and check posting guide covers the daily workflow and each option in more detail.
Is a lockbox the long-term answer?
It handles the paper that still comes. The cheaper fix is less paper: for every payer still mailing checks, ask for EFT and enroll for the ERA at the same time. See EFT and ERA enrollment. A few payers will keep mailing no matter what, so give the rest a steady path.
How ScoutIQ handles it
Payers mail EOBs and checks to a ScoutIQ PO Box, where they are opened and scanned. ScoutIQ reads each EOB line by line, posts it to your practice management system, matches the payment to the bank deposit and books it to QuickBooks, NetSuite or Sage Intacct. Short pays and denials go to your team with the reason.
Insurance Billing Automation
ERAs and EOBs read; EFT, check and card payments reconciled.
See Insurance Billing Automation