Insurance

                                                                           **** Anthem ****

– Effective January 1, 2024 our status with Anthem has changed. Although patients with Anthem/BCBS can still come to our office, we are only “In Network” with select Anthem Plans

We accept most private care insurance plans and are participating providers for Delta Dental, Smiles for Children, Humana, United Concordia (not including Active Duty), Aetna, Cigna, Careington, Dominion, GEHA, and Guardian. 

We work with literally hundreds of different insurance plans, each with various benefit rules. Therefore, it is IMPOSSIBLE to give you a guaranteed quote at the time of service.  We ESTIMATE your treatment costs based on the most up-to-date information we have, but it is ONLY AN ESTIMATE.

When considering various treatment options for patients, Dr. Phelps will recommend what is the best treatment approach for your child.  We work hard to help you achieve the greatest possible dental benefits through your insurance, but many policies are inadequate for certain specific dental needs.  We encourage you to not let your dental benefit limitations stand in the way of your child’s excellent dental health.

If you have any questions or concerns about insurance, please ask our staff. They are well informed and up-to-date and can be reached by phone at Sandston Office Phone Number 804-322-3669.

Please bring your insurance information with you to the consultation so that we can expedite reimbursement.

                                                                     

Financial Policy

You will be billed for your dental care and payment is due at the time of service. We accept cash, check, ACH and the following credit/debit cards: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Discover, and Care Credit.

Effective 1/01/2024, we will implement a policy requiring a credit card on file. We are committed to providing you with exceptional care as well as reducing waste and inefficiency. We want to make our billing process as simple and easy as possible. As you may be aware, the current healthcare market has resulted in insurance companies increasingly transferring costs to you, the patient. Some insurance plans require deductibles and copayments in amounts not known to you or us at the time of your visit. Much like many other businesses such as a hotel or car rental agency, we now have a similar policy where we ask for a credit card number at the time you check in.

Circumstances when your card would be charged include but are not limited to:

  • Any co-payments, deductible and/or co-insurance not collected from you at your visit.
  • Missed or canceled appointments without 24-hour notice (per our Broken Appointment Policy)
  • Any non-covered services and/or denial or services allocated to patient responsibility
  • Any insurance payments sent to the subscriber/patient instead of to our office.
  • Outstanding balances greater than 90 days.

This is an advantage since it makes check out easier, faster and more efficient. This in no way will compromise your ability to dispute a charge or question your insurance company’s determination of payment. If you have any
questions about this payment method, do not hesitate to ask us.

Effective 1/01/2024, for any payments made with your debit or credit card, a 3.95% card processing fee will be added. This fee is waived when paying by ACH, check or cash.

Please remember you are fully responsible for all fees charged by this office regardless of your insurance
coverage.

Your insurance policy is a contract between you, your employer and the insurance company. We are not a party to that contract and there is nothing we can do regarding the coverage provided. As dental health care providers our relationship is with you, not your insurance company. In the event we do accept assignment of benefits and your insurance company has not paid your account in full within 60 days, the balance may be transferred to your account. Please be aware that some, and perhaps all, of the services provided may be non-covered services and not considered reasonable and customary under the terms of your insurance policy.

Our practice is committed to providing the best treatment for our patients and we charge what is usual and customary for our area. A few insurance companies reimburse on an arbitrary schedule which bears no relationship to the current standard of care or the actual cost of providing dental services; not all services are a covered benefit in all contracts and some companies arbitrarily select services which they can exclude.

You are responsible for payment regardless of any insurance company’s arbitrary determination of usual and customary rates.

It is important for patients to review and understand their dental insurance plans. Many plans have waiting periods, frequency limitations, a calendar year maximum, exclusion clauses, copayments and deductibles. It is important that you check with your insurance carrier on services that have a frequency limitation. On most dental plans, radiographs, examinations and prophylaxis (cleanings) generally have a frequency limitation. If for some reason, you provide improper/wrong information (such as wrong insurance company or contact information) then you will be responsible for the entire billed amount.

All incurred charges are ultimately the responsibility of the patient regardless of insurance coverage.

On some occasions, the dental insurance company may send the check for completed treatment directly to you, the patient, instead of to our office. If this occurs, please bring the check into our office with the appropriate Explanation of Benefits so that we can credit your account properly. If you keep the insurance check, then you will be responsible for the entire billed amount.

We would be happy to discuss our charges and how they relate to your particular situation. Some treatment may necessitate special financial arrangements. Please feel free to discuss your concerns with our team at any time. We also realize that temporary financial situations may affect timely payment of your account. If such problems do arise, we encourage you to contact us promptly for assistance in the management of your account.

Returned checks for insufficient funds or closed accounts are subject to a $35.00 fee. If a check is returned, cash, Visa, MasterCard or Discover will be the only accepted form of payment thereafter.

If you fail to pay off your account balance within ninety (90) days of your first statement, we reserve the right to file a claim with a third party collection agency or lawyer. We also reserve the right to charge a billing fee to unpaid/ outstanding accounts. If a collection agency becomes involved in the settlement of your account, all collection costs and legal fees for both parties are the responsibility of the account holder.

We also offer Care Credit.

No Insurance? No Problem.

Explore our  Little Smiles, Big Savings Plan