Informazzjoni tal-Uffiċċju

The office attempts to schedule appointments at your convenience and when time is available. Preschool children should be seen in the morning because they are fresher and we can work more slowly with them for their comfort. School children with a lot of work to be done should be seen in the morning for the same reason. Dental appointments are an excused absence. Missing school can be kept to a minimum when regular dental care is continued.

Since appointed times are reserved exclusively for each patient we ask that you please notify our office 24 hours in advance of your scheduled appointment time if you are unable to keep your appointment. Another patient, who needs our care, could be scheduled if we have sufficient time to notify them. We realize that unexpected things can happen, but we ask for your assistance in this regard.

We invite you to stay with your child during the initial examination. During future appointments, we suggest you allow your child to accompany our staff through the dental experience. We can usually establish a closer rapport with your child when you are not present. Our purpose is to gain your child's confidence and overcome apprehension. However, if you choose, you are more than welcome to accompany your child to the treatment room. For the safety and privacy of all patients, other children who are not being treated should remain in the reception room with a supervising adult.

Payment for professional services is due at the time dental treatment is provided. Every effort will be made to provide a treatment plan which fits your timetable and budget, and gives your child the best possible care. We accept cash, personal checks, debit cards and most major credit cards.

If we have received all of your insurance information on the day of the appointment, we will be happy to file your claim for you. You must be familiar with your insurance benefits, as we will collect from you the estimated amount insurance is not expected to pay. By law your insurance company is required to pay each claim within 30 days of receipt. We file all insurance electronically, so your insurance company will receive each claim within days of the treatment. You are responsible for any balance on your account after 30 days, whether insurance has paid or not. If you have not paid your balance within 60 days a re-billing fee of 1.5% will be added to your account each month until paid. We will be glad to send a refund to you if your insurance pays us.

PLEASE UNDERSTAND that we file dental insurance as a courtesy to our patients. We do not have a contract with your insurance company, only you do. We are not responsible for how your insurance company handles its claims or for what benefits they pay on a claim. We can only assist you in estimating your portion of the cost of treatment. We at no time guarantee what your insurance will or will not do with each claim. We also can not be responsible for any errors in filing your insurance. Once again, we file claims as a courtesy to you.

Fatt 1 - L-EBDA ASSIGURAZZJONI TĦALLAS 100% TAL-PROĊEDURI KOLLHA L-assigurazzjoni dentali hija maħsuba biex tkun għajnuna biex tirċievi kura dentali. Ħafna pazjenti jaħsbu li l-assigurazzjoni tagħhom tħallas 90% -100% tal-miżati dentali kollha. Dan mhux veru! Ħafna mill-pjanijiet iħallsu biss bejn 50% -80% tal-miżata totali medja. Xi wħud iħallsu aktar, xi wħud iħallsu inqas. Il-perċentwal imħallas normalment jiġi ddeterminat minn kemm inti jew min iħaddmek ħallsu għall-kopertura, jew it-tip ta' kuntratt li min iħaddmek waqqaf mal-kumpanija tal-assigurazzjoni.

Fatt 2 - IL-BENEFIĊĊJI MHUMIEX DETERMINATI MILL-UFFIĊĊJU TAGĦNA Jista' jkun li tkun innotajt li xi drabi l-assiguratur dentali tiegħek jirrimborża lilek jew lid-dentist b'rata aktar baxxa mill-miżata attwali tad-dentist. Spiss, kumpaniji tal-assigurazzjoni jiddikjaraw li r-rimborż kien imnaqqas minħabba li l-miżata tad-dentist tiegħek qabżet il-miżata tas-soltu, tas-soltu jew raġonevoli ("UCR") użata mill-kumpanija.

A statement such as this gives the impression that any fee greater than the amount paid by the insurance company is unreasonable, or well above what most dentists in the area charge for a certain service. This can be very misleading and simply is not accurate.

Insurance companies set their own schedules, and each company uses a different set of fees they consider allowable. These allowable fees may vary widely, because each company collects fee information from claims it processes. The insurance company then takes this data and arbitrarily chooses a level they call the "allowable" UCR Fee. Frequently, this data can be three to five years old and these "allowable" fees are set by the insurance company so they can make a net 20%-30% profit.

Sfortunatament, il-kumpaniji tal-assigurazzjoni jimplikaw li d-dentist tiegħek qed "iċċarġja żżejjed", aktar milli jgħidu li "qed iħallsu biżżejjed", jew li l-benefiċċji tagħhom huma baxxi. B'mod ġenerali, il-polza tal-assigurazzjoni l-inqas għalja tuża ċifra tas-soltu, tas-soltu, jew raġonevoli (UCR).

Fact 3 - DEDUCTIBLES & CO-PAYMENTS MUST BE CONSIDERED
When estimating dental benefits, deductibles and percentages must be considered. To illustrate, assume the fee for service is $150.00. Assuming that the insurance company allows $150.00 as its usual and customary (UCR) fee, we can figure out what benefits will be paid. First a deductible (paid by you), on average $50, is subtracted, leaving $100.00. The plan then pays 80% for this particular procedure. The insurance company will then pay 80% of $100.00, or $80.00. Out of a $150.00 fee they will pay an estimated $80.00 leaving a remaining portion of $70.00 (to be paid by the patient). Of course, if the UCR is less than $150.00 or your plan pays only at 50% then the insurance benefits will also be significantly less.

MOST IMPORTANTLY, please keep us informed of any insurance changes such as policy name, insurance company address, or a change of employment.