Benefits, Payment Options and Payment Plans

GOOD NEWS!

When it comes to helping you with your dental benefits, understanding your coverage…

Here’s some background. First, we are grateful to our practice manager, Leslie, who has devoted thoughtful care and time into training a top-notched administrative team. We believe there is likely not a more helpful nor knowledgable Augusta area dental office than the staff of Augusta SmileCare. We practice the golden rule in the realm of dental benefits and payment plans by following the simple mantra, “Inform before you perform.” Therefore, prior to undergoing dental treatment, the cost of dental services will be reviewed with you confidentially.

For some patients, payment may be a routine matter of putting the payment on a credit card.

For your convenience we accept:

  • VISA
  • MasterCard
  • Discover
  • American Express

However, those patients with slimmer healthcare spending budgets or more extensive treatment plans, may prefer to use Proceed Finance.

Proceed Finance is here to help you pay for the portion of your treatment fees not covered by insurance or for uninsured patients.  Proceed Finance offers low interest rates and longer terms that create affordable payments.  They specialize in providing options for people that need them most.  They help those with great credit, as well as those that might be facing harder times and have a lower credit score.  They try and accommodate everyone with multiple options.

Prequalification just takes a few minutes to complete and our patients will receive an instant decision.  Proceed Finance makes it as easy as possible to get approved so that our patients don’t have financing worries and can focus on treatment.

For more information or to apply online, visit…

CareCredit is another option our office offers to help our patients pay for treatment.  CareCredit offers No Interest financing or low minimum  monthly payment options so you can get what you want, when you want it.  With three simple steps, including an instant approval process, it’s easy to apply for CareCredit.

CareCredit is endorsed by some of the most credible organizations specific to each healthcare profession we support. CareCredit is a GE Money Company. For over 20 years, they’ve been helping over five million cardholders get the healthcare treatments they want and need.

Now you don’t have to worry about saving up for the procedures you want and need. With CareCredit, the decision’s in your hands to get what you want, when you want it. For more information or to apply online, visit carecredit.com

HELPFUL FACTS ABOUT DENTAL INSURANCE

The likely answer to the common question, “Do you accept my insurance?” is YES! Augusta SmileCare accepts most insurances, both in-network and out-of-network. There is one exception: Health Maintenance Organizations do not subscribe to a reimbursement schedule sufficient enough to cover our operating costs and provide the level of service to which our office is committed. We maintain one standard of care; everyone is treated equally in our practice and care is not influenced by insurance. Therefore, HMO plans are not within our service group.

This Augusta dental office is an in-network provider with Always Care, United Concordia, and TriCare. Select plans in the Dental Health Alliance network include Aetna, Assurant, Sunlife and United Concordia.

Regardless of whether we are in-network or out-of-network with your employers plan, we will file on your behalf and only request you pay your estimated portion of the fee (also called a co-payment) at the time of service.

It’s important to know that we have hundreds of patients who select to come to our dental office “out of network” because of our relationships with them and our outstanding customer service. In fact, insurance companies encourage you to see their “in-network” dentist because it save the insurance company administrative time and costs. Their encouragement to see and in-network provider is profit- driven, meaning profits for the insurance company. When it comes to your dental health, choose your dentist based on reputation, whether in network or out of network.

For patients who are newer to the process, it is important to know we do not work for any insurance company. We do gain expertise as we file and track claims in order to help patients make sure that their claims are paid correctly on their behalf. However, please remember that the insurance benefit is a policy contracted between your employer and the insurance company. Submitting your dental benefit and waiting for payment is a courtesy for which we do not charge a fee. The ultimate responsibility for your dental bill does remain with the patient.

At the risk of getting to bogged down about insurance, it is important to educate patients who are newer in the process that we do not work for any insurance company. We do gain expertise as we file claims, track claims, write narratives and jump through more insurance hoops and loops to help patients make sure that their claims are paid correctly on their behalf. We catch claim errors, resubmit, and are known to do a victory dance when an improperly processed claim is returned to us corrected and we saved the patient greater out-of-pocket expense. However, please remember that, in the final analysis, the insurance benefit is a policy contracted between your employer and the insurance company. Submitting your insurance and waiting for payment is a courtesy for which we do not charge a fee. The ultimate responsibility for your dental bill does remain with the patient. We do our ever loving, sweet-tea drinking best to keep the paper work processing weight off of your shoulders. However, ultimately, if the insurance company says one thing and does another, in writing or in conversation, we will ultimately request you resolve the balance. This circumstance rarely happens, but it does happen. So, we feel compelled to let you know.

“IT’S NOT COVERED BY MY INSURANCE!” … LEARN THE FULL STORY BEFORE YOU DECIDE.

While you are reading this portion of our website and likely more entertained by watching paint dry, let’s address one more insurance elephant in the room. We’ll often hear, “I don’t want that. It’s not covered by my insurance!” or “I only want what’s covered by my dental insurance!” It’s a statement that makes dental professionals cringe who spent at minimum of 8 years in college learning to diagnose and solve dental problems only to have some one-line exclusion on a explanation of benefits sway the patient to think a procedure is not necessary or unwarranted.

So, here’s the rest of the story:

Dental insurance is not like medical insurance. With medical, you pay a deductible and then a pre-determined percentage of cost up to a cap. After that, the insurance company picks up the rest of the tab. Dental insurance has never been that way and never will be that way. It’s a sweet southern shame they call it “insurance”. It should only be called “benefit”; that’s what it is. It is an employer dental “benefit”; not “insurance”. In fact, one fun fact is that the “maximum annual benefit” in 1979 was $2000 for many companies. For General Motors, it was $2500. 30 years later, a common maximum annual benefit is still $2000. Our guess is that insurance company premiums have likely increased to employers. Somehow the maximum benefits haven’t kept up with the rising costs of healthcare and insurance companies are reporting healthy annual profits.

Simply stated, dental insurance isn’t real “insurance”. It’s a collaborative method to help a patient pay some of their dental bills. To simplify their payment systems and increase insurance company profits, many preventive and cosmetic services are excluded from coverages. The policies are not based on scientific research about disease prevention or how patients feel better with a confident smile; they are based on models designed to promote insurance company profit margins. Moral of the story: It’s nice to have some help with dental bills, so dental insurance is helpful if you have it. Just know that their policies are not governed or guided by the standards of care under which your dentists are trained and held to by the Georgia Board of Dentistry or that which is being taught to students at the Dental College of Georgia, in Augusta.

Great News for Un-Insured patients!

We offer an in-house loyalty program. We’ve got you covered! When dental insurance benefits were introduced to patients in the 1970s, the idea was to encourage preventive care which would, in turn, improve the overall oral health of policy holders. And, it did! Workers with insurance were inspired to see their dentist for one of the most important – and, least expensive- dental services offered: the dental cleaning, aka “Prophylaxis.”

The dental cleaning is to your mouth what an oil is to your car. It’s the least expensive service that saves you thousands of dollars. So often we have heard, “I can’t go to the dentist. I don’t have insurance!” Well, people went to the dentist before dental insurance was ever an employer benefit. And, now – the team of Augusta SmileCare makes it easy to go even if you don’t have insurance!

Dr. Massey and Dr. Dyer offer an in-office program that helps patients ultimately save money by saving their teeth.

Child Membership (12 and younger). For $36/month, you receive:

  • Two dental cleanings per year
  • Two dental exams
  • X-rays
  • One emergency exam, if needed
  • Fluoride treatment
  • 15% off of all other dental services, some exclusions may apply

Adult Membership. For $40/month, you receive:

  • Two dental cleanings per year
  • 1 – 2 dental exams
  • X-rays
  • One emergency exam, if needed
  • Fluoride treatment
  • 15% off of all other dental services, some exclusions may apply

Perio Membership. For $66/month, you receive:

  • Three to Four dental cleanings per year
  • 1 – 2 dental exams per year
  • X-rays
  • One emergency exam, if needed
  • Fluoride treatment
  • 15% off of all other dental services, some exclusions may apply

Talk with the most friendly and competent Augusta area dental office staff in the CRSA and learn how you CAN go to the dentist easily without dental insurance!