Dentist's charge for PPE

[Amethyst]

Was that back when they first starting wearing masks, etc. due to AIDS fears?

Dental services are definitely something you don't want to see deteriorate! My dentist was joking with his assistant (in that way that isn't funny to patients) that it is amazing what patients have to put up with. (He is a nice man, who does care. He gave me a few tips about Invisalign, which he said he learned not from the Invisalign company, but from going through the procedure himself).

Many years ago I had a dentist that charged ~$15 for "infection control".
The services went downhill so I left after a couple years.

 

[euro]

This is only the first of many such changes we are going to see - like it or not. For example, how do you think a restaurant is going to survive with 1/2 or 1/4 of seat capacity? Well, it either raises prices or it will go out of business. All these (very necessary!) extra restrictions and regulations (PPE, etc), have to be accounted for somehow. The businesses were optimized BEFORE Covid and now, substantial extra expenses put a drag on profits or even survival. It can't all be absorbed by the businesses or by the government - some of it is going to fall back on the individual. The new normal is not like the old normal. We'll have to get used to it. Personally, I'd rather pay an extra charge and have people take protection seriously.

BTW: I can absolutely guarantee that the extra $23 does not even come close to paying for that dentist's economic cost/loss.

 

[MBAustin]

Our dentist charged $25 extra for PPE for our cleanings recently. They previously wore masks and gloves (and eye protection for certain procedures) but are now also wearing disposable gowns and N95 masks (with surgical masks on top of them) and face shields for some procedures. I talked with him a bit and am convinced as mentioned above that this isn't close to the real costs of COVID.

 

[FIREd]

My hairdresser increased his prices to cover the extra cost for PPE and disposable capes. It's a real cost and somebody gotta pay for it somehow. I'm sure that my dentist too will pass the extra cost along, as will a large number of other businesses.

 

[ransil]

My dentist charged $35 just got the insurance bill its listed as unspecified preventive procedure

 

[HtownRose]

My dentist shut down before my cleaning appointment so I am overdue. When they started rescheduling they were only offering last minute appointments - a day or 2 or less - & I prefer more notice - I find if I am especially diligent about flossing / water-pikking a couple weeks prior there is a lot less blood & discomfort - I know, my bad to not do this all the time.

They disclosed an additional fee that they said would not be covered by insurance for PPE - don't recall exact amount but around $20. So I sent a request to my insurance navigator for nearby dentists on my plan with availability that (a) use dental hygienists rather than dental assistants for cleanings & (b) don't charge any PPE fees & there were 2 that sounded good & 1 that I was able to easily make an appointment with for July 1. I'll see how it goes - may or may not return to my old dentist for the next cleaning.

The navigator was free when I was on the HSA plan & is $2 per month on the "Cadillac" plan that I am on this year & IMO it is well worth it to get assistance like this - for dental & vision as well as health insurance issues, claim review, FSA handling & more.

 

[gerntz]

I've had to see my dentist twice in the past couple weeks, and each time he added a $23 charge for PPE. That seemed a little much. Maybe he needs to make up for lost income but dang, $23 each time?!

Has anyone else been to their dentist or any other health provider lately and got hit with a PPE charge?

Was I the dentist, I just jack up my overall fee schedule. Itemizing is too easy to complain about.

 

[O2Bfree]

Was I the dentist, I just jack up my overall fee schedule. Itemizing is too easy to complain about.

Right, let them find the umbrella then!

 

[Bamaman]

DH had implant a few weeks ago. His oral surgeon required a covid test prior to surgery and charged additional $50 for covid related expenses. PPE was in the hazmat type category and they also made upgrades to their ventilation system and other stuff. As we are in the high risk category, we appreciated these changes and had no problem paying the additional $s.

Our dentist is still closed so don't know what they plan on doing.

Our oral surgeon removed a tooth that broke off at the gum--$875. The implant--$2250. The abutment--$850. A crown--$850. Total price of one new tooth--$4825.

I found a dentist out of town that did implants.

The implant other than numbing me up took 6 minutes plus time to take an electronic x-ray. The abutment is just screwing a tiny pole in--10 minutes top.

I'm sorry but anyone that charges as much as oral surgeons can eat that fee. Their charges are truly excessive for the services rendered anyway.

I got the implant done, including x-rays--for $1,000.

 

[Scratchy]

I'd wouldn't let a PPE fee get between me and a good dentist.

 

[cathy63]

Was I the dentist, I just jack up my overall fee schedule. Itemizing is too easy to complain about.

That won't help any dentist who accepts insurance. If insurance company X has decided that it pays $163 for cleanings, then that's what the dentist gets for doing that work. He can't just charge more because his costs have gone up. If he needs to get more money, then he has to itemize and bill the patient directly for the non-covered services.

 

[gauss]

That won't help any dentist who accepts insurance. If insurance company X has decided that it pays $163 for cleanings, then that's what the dentist gets for doing that work. He can't just charge more because his costs have gone up. If he needs to get more money, then he has to itemize and bill the patient directly for the non-covered services.

+!

Exactly - what's next a high-rent surcharge? etc etc.
They need to charge for services rendered, not their costs.

What I am not sure about, is if the Dental Insurance companies view this as a violation and are willing to enforce their rules if it is.

-gauss

 

[MichaelB]

My hairdresser increased his prices to cover the extra cost for PPE and disposable capes. It's a real cost and somebody gotta pay for it somehow. I'm sure that my dentist too will pass the extra cost along, as will a large number of other businesses.

+1

 

[sengsational]

That won't help any dentist who accepts insurance. If insurance company X has decided that it pays $163 for cleanings, then that's what the dentist gets for doing that work. He can't just charge more because his costs have gone up. If he needs to get more money, then he has to itemize and bill the patient directly for the non-covered services.

+1


Could not have said it better. Until the insurance rates catch-up, I'm squarely on the side of the business owner to maintain profit margin. Especially after, I presume, many people have skipped cleanings.

 

[6miths]

All around here we have signs that say, 'We Love our Frontline Workers' but the sentiment here seems to add, 'Unless They Try to Pass on the Costs of Protecting Themselves'. There are many more expenses than you might appreciate with COVID. Decreased patient volumes (due to fear as well as cleaning time between patients), extra cleaning of equipment and office space, N95 and other masks, gowns, additional gloving and more gloves, hand sanitizer, physical space alterations (all that plexi didn't magically materialize and install itself), etc, etc. Dentistry deals with the business end of getting COVID, multiple close exposures per day and procedures that actually generate aerosols increasing risk. If I were in the dental profession I would be a bit unsettled by the mixed messages but yes if the cost is too much to bear then find a new dentist. All the expenses don't stop and around here the dental offices are gorgeous and equipment state of the art.

 

[euro]

All around here we have signs that say, 'We Love our Frontline Workers' but the sentiment here seems to add, 'Unless They Try to Pass on the Costs of Protecting Themselves'. There are many more expenses than you might appreciate with COVID. Decreased patient volumes (due to fear as well as cleaning time between patients), extra cleaning of equipment and office space, N95 and other masks, gowns, additional gloving and more gloves, hand sanitizer, physical space alterations (all that plexi didn't magically materialize and install itself), etc, etc. Dentistry deals with the business end of getting COVID, multiple close exposures per day and procedures that actually generate aerosols increasing risk. If I were in the dental profession I would be a bit unsettled by the mixed messages but yes if the cost is too much to bear then find a new dentist. All the expenses don't stop and around here the dental offices are gorgeous and equipment state of the art.

Exactly! Somehow I doubt that there are very many people on this board for whom an extra $23 Covid surcharge truly represents that much of a hardship. It boggles my mind that someone would go through the trouble of finding a new dentist (unless they don't like theirs anyway) because of this arguably very justifiable fee. But it's a personal choice, obviously, so definitely go for it, if you feel it's necessary.

 

[bjorn2bwild]

Exactly! Somehow I doubt that there are very many people on this board for whom an extra $23 Covid surcharge truly represents that much of a hardship. It boggles my mind that someone would go through the trouble of finding a new dentist (unless they don't like theirs anyway) because of this arguably very justifiable fee. But it's a personal choice, obviously, so definitely go for it, if you feel it's necessary.

For me it's how the extra charge is conveyed. I want to know upfront, rather than being blindsided on the exit.
I had an Optometrist pull this surreptitious upcharge stunt on a retinal scan. When I refused to pay, they asked me to take my business elsewhere. It's simple enough to get permission first.

 

[Rianne]

Just confirmed my cleaning appt. Dentist and asst. will wear plastic face shield with masks. I’m going to put my N99 mask over my nose and eyes. I will be only one in the waiting room. They will take my temperature. I’d pay extra for the protection. I don’t want him to go out of business, he’s great. Anything I can do to help is fine with me.

 

[6miths]

For me it's how the extra charge is conveyed. I want to know upfront, rather than being blindsided on the exit.
I had an Optometrist pull this surreptitious upcharge stunt on a retinal scan. When I refused to pay, they asked me to take my business elsewhere. It's simple enough to get permission first.

Yes because this is the same thing (though I suppose it wouldn't be too hard to post a notice). I'm not happy when my dentist offers to do unnecessary X-rays but otherwise they are quite good about not up-selling anything. I was actually impressed when they said that they did sports mouth guards at no charge.

 

[aja8888]

When all "this" is over, I wonder if dentists, hair salons, barbers, etc will drop the added PPE charge?

 

[gauss]

Exactly! Somehow I doubt that there are very many people on this board for whom an extra $23 Covid surcharge truly represents that much of a hardship. It boggles my mind that someone would go through the trouble of finding a new dentist (unless they don't like theirs anyway) because of this arguably very justifiable fee. But it's a personal choice, obviously, so definitely go for it, if you feel it's necessary.

If someone is private paying for their dental services, then they can either choose to accept the new PPE surcharges or shop for another dentist. I am fine with this. It is good to have choices.

My beef is that when my in-network dentist, appears to be violating their contract with the insurance company for what appears to be balance billing for PPE as opposed to direct billing it to the insurance company.

The dental insurance web sites all say that you are subject to balance-billing when visiting an out-of-network dentist. Unfortunately the actual contracts between in-network (ie under contract) dental providers and the insurance company are not publicly available.

I guess I am frustrated in that it appears our dentist is violating the contract but I can't definitely put my finger on it.

I suspect that I will submit the receipt for the PPE bill manually to the insurer to attempt reimbursement and to make them aware of what is going on.

-gauss

 

[BeachOrCity]

If the dentist is in network the ppe charge is almost certainly not allowed.

When you send the charge to the insurance company yourself it will likely get reversed.

Me personally? If I liked my dentist I would not fight it. Lots of things are more expensive because of Covid. Just have to deal with it

 

[travelover]

............. being blindsided on the exit. I had an Optometrist pull this surreptitious upcharge stunt.....

Nothing worse than being blind sighted by an optometrist

 

[REWahoo]

Nothing worse than being blind sighted by an optometrist

Unless it's being cut short by the Mohel.

 

[braumeister]