Am I being scammed? Anyone work in a dentist office?

[lcp9]

My husband is a dentist - some dentists go to prepay because (office-dependent) there can be a seriously high number of no shows, and if you no show on a big procedure, that's a huge chunk of the doctor's schedule - which is super annoying and costs money, esp b/c he/she has to pay staff even if patients aren't there. The prepayment is more like a deposit on your spot, so you don't take a spot and then not show up. ETA: $1000 is about right depending on the type of crown material you're using.

 

[kydisneyfans]

My wife had to make a special trip to the dentist to prepay for her crown. A crown, root canal, filling, and 1 extraction came in at $2800. I thought it was rather high and even more ridiculous that she had to make an extra trip of 44 miles to prepay the bill. She is in the market for a new dentist now.

 

[ceecee]

I work for a dentist, we charge $890 for a porcelain/metal crown. We offer a 5% discount (if there is no insurance) if paid at the first visit or 1/2 at the start and balance at the seat. The previous Dr. I worked for offered a discount if the total was paid prior to the procedure. Personally, I don't agree with that option, it may be that they are afraid a "large" amount (block of time and $) will cancel. You are more likely to show for an appointment if you've already paid for it or that was his logic anyway.

 

[ceecee]

My insurance wants their form to be filled out if anything is over $300 & it states exactly what they will pay for what. I will check the EOB as well. I have a feeling that if I didn't have insurance the same crown would miraculously only cost me exactly what insurance is willing to pay...$600, but because I do have insurance it's $1000, $600 from insurance & $400 from me...ugh

That would be insurance fraud, you are not allowed to charge an insurance patient more than an uninsured patient.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I have never had to do so BUT my parents have at their dentist.
So I'd say its probably a fairly common occurrence and that you are not being scammed.

 

[Disneytam]

After just having spent over $12,500 on dental work for my husband this year nothing a dentist did would surprise me!! The surgeon that pulled one of his teeth managed to break another tooth that added $1,500 onto the bill since the new broken tooth now needed a root canal done. Or the bridge work and crowns that started out being 6 teeth but ended up being 12 teeth, seriously I never want to see another dentist's office. We have insurance but of course the maximum pay out was only a $1,000 but without it the bill was almost double that. So glad when it's over!

 

[ceecee]

I would question how a treatment plan went from 6 teeth to 12! Very questionable. Sometimes the specialist will offer to pay for replacement if another tooth or filling is damaged. We've had a few fillings lost at the orthodontist or periodontist's office over the years. If your husband needed an endo on a tooth, he will also need a crown, I'm assuming $1500 was for both?

 

[SA mom]

When I worked in a dentist office 25 years ago, folks paid a portion of the cost of the crown when the impression was made. Not many people had insurance back then and it was basically to get the lab paid for making the crown. It was a small office with only one dentist.

 

[StuckInKS]

That would be insurance fraud, you are not allowed to charge an insurance patient more than an uninsured patient.

Maybe she was speaking of a "self-pay discount"? I know hospitals around here do them (50% off), but not sure about dentists.

 

[tvguy]

My Dentist's office has a sign saying "Payment Due at time of service". Not sure in the case of a crown that means when they do the prep, or after they install it a couple of weeks later (unless you go to one of the Dentists that now make their crowns in the office while you wait).
However, my insurance specifies that they can't require any payment from me until after the work is done and after the insurance has made their payment. My insurance, in the case of a crown, also requires a digital photo of the tooth before the crown prep, after the crown prep, and after the crown installation before they will pay.

 

[2neverland]

I was told I needed a crown. Payed my portion of $415 @ time of appt. They looked @ my tooth said I needed a root canal first. Said they would reschedule. So another $125. This was a month ago can't fit me in for root canal until this Friday. Not happy with the dentistry. It's a chain that doesn't seem to have a permanent dentist. Unfortunately our insurance participates with very few dentist in area. You look at the list seems to be a lot of dentist until you see the address. They have dozens listed but they are associated with two chains of dentistry. Open season comes in December looking for a new insurance where I can see a dentistry that's not a chain dentistry.

 

[DebbieB]

My last crown was around $1100 before insurance. Mine pays 50% after a $75 deductible. The first time I went back it didn't fit, so I had to reschedule. I don't know if it was because of that, he knocked around $100 off my bill, which I paid afterwards. I'm a long time patient.

 

[moesy4]

It is becoming really common with births to have to prepay. My husband had back surgery 2 years ago and we got a letter in the mail a week before surgery that if we didn't pay our portion, which was 1,000, before 3 days before the sirgery, it was going to be cancelled. Was NOT happy about that one.

 

[Joseph S. Pfister]

Its fine to pay pre-pay then the remaining balance should pay after the procedure.

 

[pigletto]

My dentist gives a 10% discount if prepaying for a procedure.

This I could accept. Anything else is ridiculous in my opinion. I'll pay when they do the work. They don't get it before I am there for the job, period. I don't know that you are being scammed, I just think it's a stupid practice.

 

[Fire14]

Every crown I've had with 2 diff dentists I've had to pay half my part at time of ordering and other half at time of pick up/put on.