Procedure is Thursday, oral surgeon wants full payment tomorrow (Tuesday) to hold the appointment. Is this typical? Since when do you pay for a service in full in advance? Please share any experience you’ve had and if we should agree to this. Our insurance is DMO and paying nothing. $2000
I had one that wanted me to do that and I refused.
I offered to pay in advance at the time of the procedure and he accepted that.
What if he gets hit by a truck. How would you get your money back?
If you don’t have any insurance to help pay for it, it wouldn’t hurt to give 'em your credit card number 2 days in advance.
Is this for wisdom teeth, by chance? Are they impacted? Some medical insurance companies will pay for removal of impacted wisdom teeth.
My daughter had 4 impacted wisdom teeth and the oral surgeon required payment in advance (they told me they required this of everyone, but I found out later that was a lie). Long story, but they botched the codes on the claims and it was a major headache for me to sort that out, took 6 months. Daughter had problems, too, with pain and an infection 3 months later. Don’t have plans to have any more teeth pulled, or go back to the same place again.
Good luck!
That’s true unless you have a Capital One Mastercard. In my experience, they were not helpful with the merchant. Same likely if you have a fake visa or fake Mastercard aka a debit card
I don’t feel Capital One respected my chargeback rights. Thankfully the merchant eventually agreed that I was correct with the terms and conditions so I got a 90% refund. Capital One refused to adjust
It was an auto-renew of a kids subscription service. The merchant said they auto renewed that month but eventually I was able to show they auto renewed prematurely so they agreed to a 11/12 refund
I run away from anyone wanting payment before services rendered.
5 Likes
You were not wise to sign up for a DMO. Only the worst dentists are signed up for such rotten plans.
Hanky-panky like no-showing or cancelling at the last minutes kills their bottom line. So they must ask for large deposit up front. About 40% of our new patients don’t show up. They must pay a $75 fee if they want to try it again.
Can’t believe with all the ways of communicating with patients it is harder than ever to confirm appointments. Few answer their phone, and even fewer listen to voice mail.
3 Likes
How would the surgeon get his wasted time back?
1 Like
Actually the DMO has been fantastic for us and saved us thousands on braces for our children. Maybe once we’re out of the braces stage we will go with a different plan.
Did you know that a lot of dentists like me can remove wisdom teeth, including impacted ones?
But DMO dentists make more money the fewer procedures they do on patients. So they refer procedures like wisdom tooth extractions out to specialists, and DMO patients have to pay out of pocket for them.
That is the strategy for treating DMO patients- do the minimum of treatment for the minuscule capitation fee that the dentist is paid every month- typically only about $10 to $12.
This seems to be the way of things here in southeast PA. I have walked out of a few appointments due to it. I have salvaged others by explaining I only pay for services AFTER they are renedered, and that I will take any billing resulting from my leaving this appointment to the State licensing board.
2 Likes
You can thank your federal government for a lot of this payment in advance stuff.
About a year ago, the Feds decreed by rule we cannot turn patients over to collections until 5 months after the debt is incurred. The chance of collecting anything dwindles rapidly after only 3 months.
Then the end of last year, the Feds decreed that medical debt would no longer be factored into credit scores. That was our last way of collecting unpaid patient balances. I could report someone, and they would eventually pay when they wanted to buy something on credit. Now even that tool has been taken away from us.
A certain percent of patients are worthless, irresponsible scumbags who don’t pay their bills. Now they are completely free to rip physicians and dentists off with no repercussions at all.
Consider this the next time you feel bad about being asked to pay up front. Thank your Federal bureaucrats for protecting deadbeats.
1 Like
Does that include the airline you work for? I have to pay for every flight in advance.
Airline?! That’s a Navy 2nd Lt uniform! (assumptions always dangerous)
I know of a great dentist near Harrisburg
I go from Maryland by the way which is likely similar
Who’s Navy? There are no 2nd Lts in the US Navy.
Accurately: EV2 (Enseigne de Vaisseau 2eme Classe Marine Nationale) (a lifetime ago).
That’s an obtuse answer for one who disapproves of others making assumptions.
Why didn’t you just say the French Navy?
I did not say US Navy either. The other assumed. I’m closing this discussion as it’s getting rather stupid.
Deleted. (did not read previous replies.)