Dental Insurance at Schmitt Prosthodontics
I certainly appreciate that dental insurance and insurance in general is a modern reality. It's very important for many people. Here in our office, even though we don't participate specifically with any particular provider, we certainly want you to get all of the benefits that you deserve using us as an out-of-network provider.
Impact on Doctor-Patient Relationship
With that being said, I certainly have no quarrel with the insurance industry, but I want us to understand the impacts that it can have. My concern lies whenever it starts to interfere with the confidence, trust, and motivations behind the doctor-patient relationship. Ideally, the doctor-patient relationship should be one filled with trust and confidence. We have to have a very honest and open dialogue. Both of us have to be ready and willing to trust each other because treating someone in the dental environment is always a team effort. We will get better results if we have faith in one another.
That being said, whenever the relationship starts out with a slight mistrust because of dental benefits, that is a problem. I personally don't want it to be our problem or be viewed as a problem. I want you to know that our intention, what motivates us, what motivates me is simply to do what is best for you.
My goal is to serve you to the best of my ability, regardless of whether or not you have insurance coverage.
Relationship with Insurance Companies
When a doctor enters into a relationship with an insurance company, they are required or negotiated to accept a much lower fee than they normally would for that procedure. My concern is that this immediately sets up a situation where the doctor is stressed and they're concerned about what is really their motivation for helping this person.
All dental offices are indeed businesses, and if the negotiated fee is so low that it makes the dentist question their motivations, then we certainly have a problem. I need you to know that whenever you come to my office, you get 100% of me. You do not get a negotiated lower rate. You do not get a compromise on my time and my attention. You get all of me, all of my training, all of my ethics, all of my time or more, and my full intention to help you.
I think this is reflected in how we run the office and how we book things. For instance, whenever you come in for a new patient exam, you will get a full hour of our full and undivided attention. That's time that you get 100% with the doctor. There's a full discussion. You get to express anything that's of concern to you. I promise you we will talk through in detail options, how it impacts you, different ways of doing things, time involved, and of course cost. We don't double book any appointments. So whenever you come into our office, you have our full and undivided attention. If something requires extra time, we're happy to give extra time because, in the end, my goal is to serve you to the best of my ability.
I thought it was important to say that and to express some of the differences and challenges that can happen in our very insurance-driven world. Dentistry is becoming more and more driven by corporate interests. I want you to know that at Schmitt Prostadonics, the patient still comes first. I wish you peace and God bless.
Don't Let the Cost of Treatment Prevent you From Having a Healthy Smile
We never want a price tag to prevent you from receiving the care you need. That is why our Altamonte Springs, and Mount Dora, FL, practice offers several options to help you afford treatment. We offer several financing options to help our patients afford treatment. These options break your costs into no or low-interest monthly payments, helping you stay on budget.
