Financial Policy
\Your exam and consultation includes a full discussion of recommendations for treatment - including the finances involved. Our staff will inform you of all aspects of treatment before the services are performed. PAYMENT IS DUE AT THE TIME OF SERVICES unless other arrangements have been made with our financial coordinators. We realize, too, that larger treatment plans sometimes require our patients to turn to other options. Therefore, when charges are paid in full at the initial visit, we offer a 5% courtesy for cash, checks, or credit card payments.
Our payment options are as follows:
- Cash
- Personal Check
- Visa, MasterCard, Discover
- Payment plans available through CareCredit (see below)
- Assignment of insurance benefits
- 5% prepayment courtesy
CareCredit® Interest Free and Low Interest Patient Payment Plans
Our practice offers a flexible payment program called CareCredit®. With Care Credit you can:
- start treatment immediately
- enjoy low monthly payments
- finance up to 100% of the treatment cost
- choose between several payment options, including an interest-free option
- pay no money up front
- pay no annual fees
Ideal for co-payments, deductibles and treatment not covered by insurance, CareCredit is a revolving charge account that is easy to use and takes just minutes to apply. You can:
- complete the short application in just a few minutes
- receive a response within seconds
- use it for the whole family for ongoing treatment without reapplying
- save your other credit cards for household or unplanned expenses
* You may also apply for credit on-line: http://www.carecredit.com
Understanding Dental Insurance
Most insurance plans are accepted, and for your convenience, we will assist you by processing and filing all insurance claims. Our office will estimate your insurance benefits and, based upon standard dental benefits, collect your portion at the time services are rendered. We do our best to make the most of your insurance benefit.
Please note that insurance covers some aspects of dental treatment, but it rarely covers everything. Once you decide to have treatment, be sure to contact us—we can help you decide the best method of payment for your situation.
Traditional Indemnity Plans
With indemnity, or UCR programs, you may choose any dentist and pay on a traditional fee-for-service basis. The insurance company, who is paid a monthly premium by your employer, then reimburses you a percentage of the dentist's fee, after which you are responsible for the remaining percentage after meeting a pre-determined deductible payment.
Unfortunately, the "usual, customary, and reasonable" for which UCR stands is misleading. UCR fees often do not represent local dentists' fees or the available treatment options, and may in fact be fees simply set by the insurance company. As a result, UCR fees among the different insurance companies tend to vary widely - even when compared in the same geographic area and for the same group of dentists!
Outdated Benefit Limits
It’s important to know that dental insurance benefits are, generally speaking, woefully behind the times. Despite inflation and cost of living increases, the average annual limit of dental insurance benefits has remained about the same ($1000) since the 1960’s. Meanwhile, needless to say, fees for procedures have tripled or even quadrupled. What’s more, most insurance plans often exclude new treatments they can label as "discretionary” - including implants, porcelain veneers, orthodontic treatment, bonding, and whitening.
It’s up to you
Choosing your dental care is very much like making any other important service-related decision. And in many cases, your insurance company wants you to consider only the cheapest dental procedures. We, however, believe that you should be able to make a quality-based choice about the best dental treatment and materials for you and your family.
While our office will submit charges for services rendered to your insurance carrier as a convenience, we consider the patient primarily responsible for the account. The service provided by our office amounts to an agreement between the patient and the dentist. The insurance relationship constitutes an agreement between the carrier and the patient. Every dental plan has a provision for limiting dollar disbursement by the insurance company for covered services. The types of services covered, and the dollar amount assigned to it, are determined by the type of plan purchased by your employer. Please call us if you have any questions regarding your account, or changes in your insurance.
We pride ourselves on providing our patients the best that dentistry has to offer. And we’ll make the most of your insurance, so that the best dentistry is affordable for you.
We’ll help you find a way! Call us today at 614.272.0011.
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