Accounts Receivable for the Dental Office

Expand your reach at your dental practice

Understanding accounts receivable (AR) is one of the most important elements in running a dental practice. It pays for your facility, your bills, and your salary. So whether you’re an office manager looking to boost your fiscal know-how, or a dental assistant hoping to get more involved in the financial aspects of your dental practice, this course is for you.

The Accounts Receivable for the Dental Office course* shows you the ins and outs of AR, and empowers you to gain more responsibility within your practice. Our easy-to-use interactive course lets you work when it’s best for you – whether you prefer a few sessions in between patients or one four-hour session after hours. After completing the course, go back and review course topics as much as you like to prepare you for the post-course assessment. Once you successfully complete the post-course assessment, you will receive your official verification of participation to hang on your wall, share with your network online and add to your resume.

* This course is an assessment-based certificate program. Upon successful completion of a certificate program, you will receive a verification of participation. A certificate program is not a professional certification, so you do not receive credentials or letters after your name. To learn more about the difference between certificate programs and professional certification, visit the Institute of Credentialing Excellence.

Course credentials

Subject Matter Experts:

• Sharon Dickinson, CDA, CDPMA, RDA
• Teresa Duncan, MS, FADIA, FAADOM
• Christine Taxin

Creation date: March 2010
Updated: April 2015; October 2018; March 2022
Date of next review: October 2024
AGD Code: 550
Meets AADOM Fellowship requirements

Want more related study materials? See also:

• Financial Reporting for the Dental Office
• Behavioral Guidance and Management for the Pediatric Dental Patient
• HR Fundamentals for the Dental Office

Develop your role in business

Whether you work behind the front desk or chairside, understanding the financial aspects of business will enable you to take on a bigger role in your dental practice.

By the end of our Accounts Receivable course, you will be able to:

• Distinguish between accounts receivable and accounts payable
• Determine an effective financial policy
• Understand different payment methods
• Establish how, when and where to introduce treatment plan fees
• Confirm the steps of posting a payment
• Interpret accounts receivable reports and know when to run them
• Classify the stages of billing and collections for a dental practice
• Communicate effectively to collect outstanding and delinquent payments
• Recognize how financial policy, effective communication, appropriate patient payment options, patient retention and patient compliance with treatment plan affect dental office profitability

Test out our course

Check out our Accounts Receivable demo – and see how simple continuing your education can be.

See What Others Are Saying

Read what those who have completed the Accounts Receivable for the Dental Office course say about their experience.

We’d like to hear from you!

After you complete the course*, log in to your account and provide a rating and review!
*You must complete the course to provide feedback.