Insurance education for your patient
Your patient may think their dental insurance covers 100% of all the work you’ll ever need to do with them. Unfortunately, no. That’s why it’s your job to educate them on their insurance benefits and let them know what their out-of-pocket expenses will be, so there are zero surprises when the bill arrives.
Before a procedure is delivered, many dental practices ask the patient sign a treatment plan that describes the full fee, estimated insurance, and the patient’s estimated amount due at the time of service. In your treatment plan, you can include payment options, informed consent to treatment, and the signature of the patient, parent, or legal guardian. Scan the document and give the original to the patient.
But what if they’ve reached the maximum for their insurance benefits for the year? The dentist can decide if the work can wait until the benefit year renews.
What if the patient can’t delay treatment until the next benefit year? Then discuss with them alternative payment methods to meet their dental billing needs, including credit cards, monthly auto-debits, and CarecreditⓇ.
