Insurance and billing
Assignment of benefits
Also called AOB
A patient's signed permission for the insurer to pay the dental office directly.
Assignment of benefits is a signature or consent by the patient that lets the insurance company send payment directly to the dental office instead of to the patient. Without it, the plan may pay the patient, who then has to pay the office. Most new patient forms include it. When it is missing or a plan ignores it, the office may need to collect from the patient and have them seek reimbursement.
Example at the front desk
He signed the assignment of benefits, so the payment will come straight to us.