Welcome to our dental office for children! It is our primary goal and responsibility to help our patients obtain good dental health. We wish to direct our time and energy toward obtaining that goal. We have prepared this letter so that you may be aware of our financial policy.
Payment in full is expected at the time of treatment. Patients with dental insurance must provide accurate and complete insurance information. We will be happy to submit insurance claims as a courtesy to you. Our relationship is with you and not your dental insurance company. Your dental insurance is a contract between you or your employer and the insurance company. The percentage covered for each procedure is determined by how much you or your employer has paid for coverage.
Please provide your insurance information at least 48 hours before the scheduled appointment. Our office does not determine your dental benefits. Most plans routinely pay between 50-75% of the average total fee; however, some insurance carriers will not reimburse our office. In such instances, you will be responsible for the full cost of each visit at the time services are provided, and your insurance company will send you the reimbursement check directly.
We provide our patients with the finest treatment available and base our treatment recommendations on what will be best for your child rather than what your insurance company does or doesn’t pay. Our primary goal is to provide your child with the best possible treatment in a safe environment, using high quality supplies and medications.
At the initial appointment, you will be responsible for your portion of the fees not covered by your insurance for that appointment and payment is expected. Prior to completing any restorative treatment, however, we will provide you with a cost estimate of our total fee, your estimated insurance coverage, and your estimated out-of-pocket costs. Please remember,these are only estimates and may change during the course of treatment. Sometimes, treatment alternatives become necessary for various reasons, which may increase or decrease treatment costs. Further, most insurances do not tell us exactly what they will pay, so we are only giving you our best guess.
Any amount not covered by your insurance company is payable at the time services are rendered. These fees may include deductibles, co-payments or certain procedures not covered by your insurance policy. For your convenience, we accept cash, personal checks, and Visa/Mastercard. Any returned checks will incur a $30 processing fee. We cannot accept responsibility for negotiating a disputed claim and allow a maximum of 45-days for your insurance company to clear account balances. If your insurance does not pay within 45 days of the treatment rendered, we shall expect payment in full from you.
If you find it difficult to meet you financial obligations with our office, please contact our business manager. Delinquent accounts are subject to a finance charge of 18% per annum. In the event that the account would need to be assigned to an outside collection agency, a 35% collection fee of the balance will be added to the account prior to the assignment.
If you have any questions, we will be happy to assist you. We look forward to beginning a wonderful relationship with you and your child! Please do not hesitate to call us at (425) 523-4179.