Dental insurance complexity continues to grow, and 2026 is shaping up to be the most challenging year yet. Industry data shows denials climbing, eligibility errors increasing, and plan changes accelerating across dental offices nationwide. Practices that prepare now will enter January with more accuracy, more control, and fewer surprises.

For our dental practices, the start of the year is all about preparation. We train our teams to review eligibility thoroughly, so they can spot benefit resets and address them before they impact patients. AirPay allows our teams to do this quickly, accurately, and efficiently so patients and staff start the year confident and prepared!

Lauren Coleman
Revenue Cycle Manager
PepperPointe Partnerships

Rising Denials and Why They Matter

Practolytics projects first-pass denial rates could reach 13 to 15 percent in 2026. This year the top three causes of denials, according to the Experian Health State of Claims Report are:

• Missing or inaccurate data

• Lack of required authorizations

• Incorrect or incomplete patient information

These issues are preventable, yet they remain the biggest drivers of revenue loss.

For dental offices, this means one thing: the start of the year is no longer just a busy season, it is a risk multiplier. Practices that establish strong verification workflows now will see fewer write-offs, fewer reworks, and smoother patient experiences.

Every January, I double-check copays, deductibles, and plan limits for each patient so there aren’t any surprises when they come in. AirPay makes all of this information visible in one place.  I am also able to use the advanced filter to look at plans most likely to change in the new year across medicare, marketplace, and employer plans.

Lindsay Morrison
Chief Operating Officer
Snow Dental Specialties

Preparing for New Benefits

When the calendar turns, nearly every insurance plan resets. Deductibles, maximums, frequencies, and accumulators all restart at once, which creates a heavy lift for every dental practice.

To understand your January workload ahead of time, start by filtering your patient list by:

• Plans that run on a calendar-year term

• Plan type

  • Medicare Advantage

  • Marketplace plans

  • Employer-sponsored plans, which are most likely to change

This gives you a clear picture of how many patients will require re-verification in the first one to two weeks of the year.

At the start of the year, we spend most of our time in the Needs Attention and Warnings view tackling updates for plans and patient information changes. This is also super helpful for catching inactive plans so we can reach out to patients before their appointments to update their insurance in advance.

Rose W.
Revenue Coordinator
Pediatric Dental Team

Tighten Your Processes Before January Hits

Every accepted payer follows different rules, and year-end is the best time to make sure your team’s workflow is as efficient and accurate as possible.

Evaluate:

• Where information is getting missed

• Which plans historically have caused claim resubmissions or denials

• Whether your team can identify mismatched patient data, inactive plans, and outdated subscriber details

When coverage shifts, your team needs to know fast. An automated system that surfaces mismatches, term changes, or inactives allows you to stay ahead of problems instead of reacting to them.

Using filters in AirPay, we'll easily be able to monitor employer insurance carrier changes and facilitate timely patient outreach to verify updated coverage as plans change in the new year.

Ronalynn Munnell
Revenue Cycle Operations Manager
North American Dental Group

Maximize Year-End Scheduling with Remaining Benefits

Even before January arrives, the final weeks of 2025 represent a major opportunity. Many patients still have unused benefits they can apply to treatment. Recalling dormant or overdue patients based on remaining annual max can meaningfully boost production.

The right tools help you:

• Identify patients who have not used their benefits

• See who has exceeded their maximums

• Prioritize outreach and recall

• Coordinate treatment plans that align with both cost and timing

As we are nearing the end of year, the Warnings in AirPay help our team know when and how to take action. These indicators allow us to coordinate upfront treatment costs for patients that have reached their maximum, or to identify unused benefits and create urgency for treatment to be completed before benefits expire.

Stephanie Pearlman
VP of Revenue Cycle Management

Specialty1 Partners

This approach can help to increase patient satisfaction and reduce year-end revenue loss from unused benefits.

Getting Ready for 2026

The data is clear. Denials are rising, eligibility errors remain widespread, and benefit changes are more frequent than ever. Practices that invest time now in organization, filtering, outreach, and automation will start the year with a lighter lift and fewer billing headaches.

With the new year bringing a surge of insurance renewals, we audit our January schedule to identify patients needing updated coverage info. By connecting with them ahead of time, we enable AirPay to verify benefits early and keep our front-office workflow running efficiently.

Cathryn Wilson
Revenue Cycle Manager
Resolute Dental Partners

AirPay helps dental teams enter January prepared with:

• Automated verification across the schedule

• Comprehensive real-time data for more than 1,200 payers

• Warnings for max exhausted, inactive, term changes, and other high-impact issues

• Tools to filter patients, monitor carrier changes, and maintain clean data

A strong start to the year sets the tone for everything that follows. With the right workflows and the right technology, dental offices can reduce denials, increase revenue, and create a smoother experience for patients and staff alike.