Which is best for you?
Managed healthcare (reduced-fee dental plans) is a low-cost way for employers to provide their employees with dental benefits. Services are provided for patients by practitioners who are enrolled in a managed care network, which has the ability to restrict fees and ration care. Unfortunately, these decisions may be made in the interest of the managed care provider's bottom line rather than the best interest of the patient. This does, however, translate into lower premiums for the employer, which makes this form of dental plan increasingly attractive to employers.
Some plans are written so the employees can choose to continue to receive care from their non-network dentists, but usually with higher deductibles and greater out of pocket expenses. This means that in order for the employee to continue to receive the same quality of care they have been accustomed to, they must now assume greater financial responsibility for that care.
Our office has chosen not to join managed healthcare organizations because it is our belief that managed healthcare may not always provide patients with the quality care they have come to expect. It takes a proper amount of time to provide quality dental products and services.
In order for a dentist to provide patients with quality care, fees are based on the amount of care, skill and judgement that go into providing those services. When fees are determined by a third party to satisfy the bottom line without taking into consideration the high standards of our office, then something must be compromise. This compromise can manifest itself in such ways as less time spent with patients or use of lower quality materials.
Because our practice is built on the philosophy of quality care, we find compromise unacceptable. Our patients will continue to receive quality dental care because we believe it is the most cost effective way to provide you with the peace of mind that comes from knowing you can have your teeth for a lifetime.
Today's economic climate is such that patients now must accept greater financial responsibility in order to receive quality care. Dental offices must find new and innovative ways to make treatment affordable without compromising the quality of care. Our office will make financial arrangements so that our patients will be able to comfortably receive the same quality of care they have come to expect form us. If you are concerned about the affordability of quality care, ask us about the options we have available and we will be happy to find the one that is best for you.
