When it comes to going green, the small steps can make a big difference. One small step Delta Dental of Arizona has taken to reduce waste and lower costs by increasing its paperless offerings. Here’s how you can help this effort become more meaningful:
- If you’re a member – Sign up to receive your Explanation of Benefits (EOB) electronically. You can also download your ID card on the Delta Dental Mobile App rather than requesting additional/replacement cards.
- If you’re a broker – Sign up to receive commission payments via direct deposit. You can also encourage your clients to distribute open enrollment materials electronically, as all of our forms are now fillable.
- If you’re an employer – Small employers with less than 10 employees are required to make enrollment changes online and pay premiums via ACH. Larger employers are encouraged to do the same. In addition, employers of all sizes can opt to distribute open enrollment materials electronically and encourage their employees to register for the Member Connection to access their benefits, EOBs and ID cards.
- If you’re a dentist – Network dentists can sign up for electronic claims payments and use the Dentist Connection to verify patient benefits.
Going green and decreasing our reliance on paper forms and statements isn’t just a way to improve business efficiency and sustainability; it’s our corporate social responsibility. That said, we know going paperless isn’t an easy change for everyone, especially for those who feel that they might not be able to work as effectively with a computer. That’s why we’ve come up with a few more reasons to encourage even the biggest loose-leaf lovers to support our efforts:
Because your personal information may be safer.
Identity thieves only need a few pieces of information, such as an account number and an address, to attempt identity theft and fraud. Some experts believe that paper bills and statements could make it easier for sensitive information to be compromised. Because electronic statements are less likely to be stolen, lost or encounter delivery delays, going paperless may allow you to discover fraudulent activity faster. In fact, a 2015 identity theft and fraud survey by Javelin Strategy and Research found that an over-reliance on paper statements can result in a 30-day delay in the detection of fraudulent activity.
Because a digital database is easier to manage than a mess of papers.
Bury the paper before it buries you! Studies have shown that physical clutter-such as those piles of papers waiting to be filed or shredded-overloads your senses, making you feel stressed and impairing your ability to think creatively.
Because all the cool kids are doing it.
Your friends, neighbors and co-workers are steadily receiving more statements, bills, legal notices and other official communications via paperless delivery. In fact, one U.S. study predicts that 8.6 billion consumer bills and statements will be paperless in 2017.
Because the environment will love you for it.
An obvious advantage of going paperless is that it requires less paper. Your documents are stored securely online and you can print only the documents you need. According to The Nature Conservancy, if one in five households switched to electronic bills, statements and payments, the collective impact would save 151 million pounds of paper, avoid filling 8.6 million garbage bags and eliminate 2 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
