A commonly recommended best practice is to establish a dedicated bank account exclusively for receiving EFT payments from payers. To efficiently reconcile payments, your office manager or designated staff member may need access to the account; however, many practices work with their banking institution to establish view-only access rather than full transactional authority. This allows staff to verify deposits and reconcile payments without the ability to move funds.

Practice owners should maintain regular oversight of EFT activity, ideally reviewing deposits and account activity at least weekly. Practices should ask their bank to place a debit block or debit filter on the EFT account so funds cannot be pulled without authorization. Funds can then be transferred from the EFT account to the practice’s primary operating account according to the practice’s established financial procedures. This approach helps balance operational efficiency with appropriate financial controls and oversight. Practices transitioning to EFT may want to consult with an accountant or Dental CPA to establish the most efficient, cost-effective workflow for their office.

EFT (direct deposit) can be a bulk or individual claim payment, depending on how many claims have been processed at the time the dental plan is making its scheduled payment.

The Electronic Remittance Advice (ERA) is the HIPAA 835 transaction and is referred to in paper form as an Explanation of Benefits (EOB), Explanation of Payment (EOP), or Remittance Advice (RA). There is an ERA for each EFT, so it may cover one or more claims depending on what is included in the EFT.

ERAs/EOPs/RAs all provide information about the patient, service provider, any adjustments made to the claim, procedure performed and cost (patient benefits, co-payment, and deductible information). If payment is denied, an explanation is provided.

As part of the EFT enrollment and implementation process, practices should proactively contact their financial institution and confirm that their banking platform can receive and display the ACH CCD+ addenda information that accompanies health care EFT transactions. Dentists should specifically request access to the EFT Reassociation Trace Number (TRN) and other addenda data needed to match EFT deposits to the corresponding ERA (835) for accurate payment posting. If an EFT account is already established but the information is not displayed, offices should request information on how to retrieve the information needed for reconciliation.

• I am out-of-network with Delta Dental: As of July 7, 2026, DDCA has noted that “At this time, out-of-network providers are not included in the weekly processing fee. If that changes in the future, Delta Dental will provide advance notice of such change.” Out-of-network dentists may enroll in EFT and Delta Dental encourages all providers to do so.
• I am contracted with one of the DDCA Enterprise companies and I am treating a patient covered by them: If a provider chooses the paper check option, they will be charged a $15.00 processing fee weekly by DDCA.
• I am contracted with DDCA Enterprise companies, and I am treating a patient covered by a different Delta Dental member company: The $15.00 weekly processing fee applies only to claims submitted to DDCA Enterprise companies by contracted providers within the DDCA Enterprise states at this time.
• I am contracted with a different Delta Dental company, and I am treating a patient covered by a DDCA Enterprise company: The $15.00 weekly processing fee only applies to claims submitted to DDCA Enterprise companies by contracted providers within the DDCA Enterprise states at this time. Providers will be notified by their local member company of changes in payment options and any applicable fees.

All Delta Dental ERAs can be accessed through the National Dentist Dashboard, deltadental.com. Simply log in and click on the “Check National ERA” tab.

Delta Dental has partnered with DentalXChange to simplify the management of the RAs. You can also access the system through your local Delta Dental member company’s website.

Delta Dental websites provide details about the claims associated with the payment, including the EFT check number.

EFT payment cycles vary by Delta Dental member company and may range from daily to weekly. ERAs/EOPs/RAs are typically issued no later than one business day after the corresponding payment.

No. Delta Dental cannot withdraw funds directly from a provider’s bank account. EFT payments are one-way transactions that are securely routed through approved banking channels and support deposits only, protecting providers from unauthorized withdrawals or access. Any recoupments are handled through standard reconciliation processes.

The provider would need to sign up for each office location. Delta Dental has partnered with DentalXChange to simplify the management of the ERA. The ERA will capture claims by provider and office location/tax ID. It includes information about the patient, service provider, any adjustments made to the claim, procedure performed and cost (patient benefits, co-payment, and deductible information).

The ERA/EOP/RA that accompanies every EFT will capture claims for the providers in the office by TaxID. It includes information about the patient, service provider, any adjustments made to the claim, procedure performed and cost (patient benefits, co-payment, and deductible information).

When an electronic deposit fails, the Delta Dental member company receives a failure notice. The Delta Dental member company will update the provider to the plan’s default payment method while the member company attempts to secure updated EFT information from the provider.

Yes, it is possible for a provider to terminate their EFT enrollment.

Providers will be paid according to the method they have selected with their local member company or third-party payment processor if they have contracted with one.

Providers can enroll once through their local Delta Dental member company and opt into national EFT, in which case the local member company will make the information available to all member companies for their use in paying the provider.