When a locum tenens dentist fills in for a dentist, who should be listed as the treating dentist when the locum tenens is not a contracted provider for the same dental plans as the regular dentist?

Answer

The TIN and NPI of the dentist who actually performed the treatment must be reported in fields 53 and 54 of the ADA claim form. Most dental carriers consider it a violation for a locum tenens to report services using the information of the dentist who was temporarily away from the practice.

That being said, there are some dental carriers that allow an exception when a dentist is filling in for another dentist on a temporary basis (less than 90 days) and may recommend that the regular dentist be listed as the treating dentist. However, for legal reasons, we do not recommend this.