Financial Information
We want you to feel comfortable with our office regarding your financial and insurance matters. We believe that our patients expect and deserve the highest quality care we can provide at a reasonable cost. While we take advantage of every possible avenue to keep costs down, we are committed to not sacrificing quality for less expensive care. We hope you will contact us if you have any questions regarding our financial policies.
Many people are under the impression that if they have insurance, it is the insurance company who owes the doctor for his services. Please keep in mind that the insurance contract is between the patient and the insurance company. Therefore, the patient is responsible for the bill regardless of insurance coverage determination. As a courtesy to our patients, we are happy to bill your insurance for you; however, the responsibility for payment remains with the patient (or guardian).
Patients with Insurance
Many insurance plans state that you will be covered up to 50%, 80%, or 100%. In spite of this, we have found that in actuality, some plans may cover less than that depending upon their established usual and customary fees. Please be aware that some insurance companies will pay a claim percentage based on their usual and customary fees, not on our actual charges. For more information on usual and customary fees, please visit our insurance page.
Exams/Consults:
At your examination or consultation appointment, we require payment in full for the office visit and any x-rays. If your insurance covers the charges, the amount you paid will be applied towards future treatment or will be refunded to you promptly. We process refunds twice a month in the form of a check.
Surgery:
At the time of surgery, patients are required to make an estimated payment towards the planned treatment that is specific to your needs and based on the benefits information given to our office from your insurance company regarding your policy and coverage.
Pre-Authorization:
If requested by the patient, we will request pre-authorization by your insurance carrier to determine what portion of the charges will be covered; however, this often requires several weeks to be processed by the insurance company.
Patients without Insurance
Patients without insurance are required to pay all charges in full at the time of service. An estimate will be given to you at your examination/consultation appointment for proposed or planned treatment that is specific to your oral surgery needs.
Payment Options
Personal check, cash, or Visa/Discover/MasterCard may be used for payment on your account. We also accept HSA and other health savings account-type cards, as well as CareCredit. A 5% discount will be given to all patients having surgery who pay their accounts by cash or check in full on the day of service. This discount does not apply to credit or debit cards.
Understanding the 5% Discount
This discount applies to surgeries only. There are no discounts on exams and xrays. The 5% discount applies to the cost of the surgery before dental insurance. For instance, imagine you had a $1,000 surgery scheduled where we estimate your insurance will pay $500. The day of surgery you will get the 5% discount if you pay with check or cash in the amount of $950 (5% off $1,000). You can choose to just pay your estimated portion of $500, but there would be no discount applied. Once your insurance company pays, we will issue a refund check if you overpaid or send you a statement if your insurance paid less than expected.
Financing Options
Patients can apply for CareCredit by clicking here. We offer a six-month interest-free plan through CareCredit, upon approval.
Our official Office Financial Policy can be found here. A copy of this will be made available to you at your appointment.