Financial Policy & Insurance Information

Insurance Information

• In-Network: We are in-network with Cigna, Delta Dental, and Guardian.
• Medicaid: We are accepting new patients with Medicaid up to age 13 only.
• Out-of-Network: We do accept out-of-network insurance if the patient’s plan provides out-of-network benefits (most PPO plans).
• Please note: We do not accept HMO plans or discount plans.

No insurance? Ask about our Accent Care Plan membership, an affordable in-house plan for uninsured patients and families.

Financial Policy

• Patients are financially responsible for any and all charges for services not paid by insurance for their visits.
• It is the patient’s responsibility — not the responsibility of the dentist or the dentist’s staff — to know whether their insurance will pay for any dental treatment they receive.
• It is the patient’s responsibility to know if their insurance has any deductible, co-payment, out-of-network amounts, usual and customary limit, or any other type of benefit limitation for the dental services they receive.
• It is the patient’s responsibility to know if the provider they are seeing is a contracted in-network provider recognized by their insurance company or plan. If the provider is not recognized by the insurance company or plan, it may result in claims being denied or higher out-of-pocket expense, and the patient is responsible for all charges and full payment.
• Patients are expected to pay for services at the time they are rendered. Patients with dental insurance are expected to pay the amount of their estimated co-pay and deductible at the time of service. All emergency dental services, or any dental service performed without financial arrangement, must be paid in full at the time of service.

Payment Options

Payments may be made by cash, Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or CareCredit (for healthcare expenses only).

• Full-Pay Cash Discount: We offer a 3% accounting courtesy for all services over $300 that are paid in full prior to the commencement of services.
• Credit Card Convenience Fee: A convenience fee of 3.0% will be charged to each credit card transaction. The fee does not apply to other forms of payment, including cash or debit cards.
• Term Loans: We partner with multiple financing companies that offer affordable payment plan options. Please ask our front desk for more information about available financing options. Patients are responsible for making all payments directly to the financing company according to the terms of their agreement.

Insurance Claims

• As a courtesy to our insured patients, we submit claims to your insurance company free of charge. We will help you receive your maximum allowable benefits. In order to do this, we need your insurance card and/or insurance policy number with you on your first visit of every calendar year or your benefit period.
• Dr. Brenda Gong will diagnose treatment based on your dental health, not your insurance coverage.
• Dental insurance is not really insurance (a payment to cover the cost of a loss) at all. It is actually a money benefit, typically provided by an employer, to help their employees pay for routine dental services. The employer usually buys a plan based on the amount of the benefit and how much the premium costs per month. Most benefit plans are only designed to cover a portion of the total cost of a person’s necessary dental treatment. For example, a dentist may recommend a crown for a tooth that has extensive decay; however, the dental plan may only cover the cost of a filling. This does not mean that the patient does not need a crown, only that the benefit is limited to a filling.
• If your insurance has not paid within 90 days of services rendered, you will need to make full payment to this office and be reimbursed when your insurance company pays. After 90 days, the patient is responsible for pursuing payment from the insurance company. All current documentation will be provided by mail in order to assist your inquiries. The insured has a better ability to deal with the insurance company and the employer responsible for the policy.

Collection Costs

If we do not receive payment under the terms of this Financial Policy and we refer your account to a collection agency, we may charge to your account or otherwise collect from you our collection costs, including court costs and reasonable attorney’s fees to the extent not prohibited by applicable law. We may report late payments, missed appointments, or other defaults on your account to the credit bureau. If you believe that we have information about you that is inaccurate, or that we have reported or may report inaccurate information about you to a credit reporting agency, please notify us of the specific information you believe is inaccurate by writing to us at our office address.

Changes During Treatment

It is possible for changes to occur in the course of treatment during a procedure due to unexpected underlying dental conditions not showing on radiographs (X-rays). There will be a fee for any additional procedure NOT included in the original treatment plan.

Appointment Policy

When you request an appointment, time is reserved with your provider especially for you so that we may be dedicated to your care. We understand that your time is valuable, so we will see you on time. The policies below were developed to best serve all of our patients.

• Late Arrival: If you are 15 minutes late for your appointment, we may need to reschedule your appointment so that we may provide scheduled patients with the care that they deserve. If you are late for 2 appointments, we reserve the right to request that you contact us when you are available (same day), and if there is an opening, we will be glad to accommodate.
• Rescheduling or Cancellation: If you need to change an appointment, please notify us two (2) days prior to your appointment, not including weekends.
• Short-Notice Change of Appointments: If you cancel or change your appointment without proper notice (48 hours) twice, we reserve the right to request that you contact us when you are available (same day), and if there is an opening, we will be glad to accommodate.
• Missed (Broken) Appointments: If you fail to appear for an appointment, we reserve the right to request that you contact us when you are available (same day), and if there is an opening, we will be glad to accommodate. If you fail to appear for three (3) appointments, we reserve the right to dismiss you from the practice. Also, we reserve the right to charge your account a $75 broken appointment fee for short-notice cancellations or if you fail to appear for your appointment. This is determined on a case-by-case basis.

Questions?

Our team is happy to help you understand your benefits and payment options. Call us at 919-639-3911 or contact us online.