1. Our Office Policy on FUN
One of our office policies is to have FUN. We foster creating a pleasant and comfortable environment for team members as well as patients and their families. Our office also routinely participates in fun days at the office like our Halloween & Christmas parties and other celebrations. This office also promotes children's extracurricular activities. All through the year, we sponsor local sports teams. Several times a year our dentists and staff visit local schools to educate students on dental care and good dental habits. Lastly. we often participate in continuing education courses to keep us up-to-date on the best technology for your kids.
2. Our Office Policy on Scheduling Appointments
Children tend to do better in the dental office when they are not tired. Therefore, we encourage morning appointments, especially for pre-school or nervous children. For many children, just a simple filling at the end of a long day, when they are tired, can seem like a major ordeal. Please keep in mind, one of our goals is to make dentistry as pleasant as possible for your child. Also keep in mind that a dental appointment is an excused absence from school, and we can provide you with a school excuse/work excuse letter.
3. Our Office Policy on Cancelling and/or Failing Appointments
When we schedule an appointment for your child, that time is reserved solely for your child. We do not double book and we take pride in the fact that because we value your time, as much as we hope you value ours, we make every effort to see your child at the time scheduled. For this reason, it is very important that you have your child in the office at the time scheduled. If you are more than 15 minutes late, it may be necessary to reschedule your child's visit. We ask that a minimum 24-hour notice be given for cancellations. We need this amount of time so that we can contact a child from our waiting list to offer the appointment.
4. Our Office Policy on Financial Provisions and Payment
We are committed to providing your child with the best possible care. In order to achieve this goal, we need your assistance and your understanding of our payment policy. The parent or guardian noted as the responsible party on the initial new patient form is financially responsible. Payment and co-payments for dental services are due the day that dental services are rendered. We accept cash, checks, money orders, MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express. Returned checks are subject to a $25 fee.
Note: Regarding parents or guardians who are divorced. separated. or single: we are not in a position to mediate payment arrangements between parents or guardians.
5. Our Office Policy on Dental Insurance
We are committed to providing your child with the best possible dental care regardless of insurance benefits. In order to achieve this goal, we need your assistance and your understanding of YOUR child's insurance benefits. The parent or guardian noted as the respon¬sible party on the initial new patient form is financially responsible for the account, regardless of who the policy holder for the insurance is. If the child has secondary insurance, we will be happy to file a dental claim, provided we are given all applicable information that we are able to verify. However, we are not in a position to mediate payment arrangements between parents or guardians.
As a courtesy to you, we will file a dental claim with your child's insurance.
YOU MUST REALIZE, HOWEVER, THAT:
- Your insurance is a contract between you, your employer and the insurance company.
- We are not responsible for how your insurance company processes claims or what benefits they pay for. Which is why we can ONLY provide you with an ESTIMATE of YOUR insurance coverage.
- Insurance companies set their own fee schedules and percentages paid are based on their fees not OUR office fees.
- Not all dental services are a covered benefit.
- lnsurance claims not paid by insurance company within 60 days become the sole responsibility of the responsible party. By law, insurance companies must pay claims within 30 days. Most do, but some do not. We have given those companies up to 60 days to pay. After 60 days, if there is no payment from the insurance company, the responsible party is responsible to pay
that claim and given another 30 days to make a payment in full. If you have not paid your balance by this 90 day mark, and have not made financial arrangements with us, the responsible party's account will be sent to a collections agency and you will be responsible for all service fees.
- We are only "in-network" with Delta Dental Premier insurance plan. However, we accept assignment of benefits from ALL PPO
insurance plans because PPO plans offer "out-of-network" benefits which allow you to choose the very best healthcare providers for your child.
I have read the above office policies in their entirety. By signing below, I acknowledge that I am aware of and understand FUNtastic Dental & Orthodontics' office policies as stated above.