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SCHEDULING & RESCHEDULING

Scheduling Appointments
Our office works very hard to accommodate all of our patients’ schedules. Realizing that the majority of our patients either work or attend school, please keep in mind that it is a challenge to accommodate everyone’s scheduling needs. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding when scheduling your orthodontic visits. Some appointments throughout your treatment will require you to miss some time from work or school depending on what the appointment is. We strive to keep these types of appointments to a minimum and appreciate your willingness to be a little more flexible at those times.

Dr. Pearce typically sees patients for orthodontic adjustments on a four-week appointment rotation. This rotation period has several benefits for the patient. To limit the number of absences from work or school is one benefit. Also, continuous force systems are built into your treatment mechanics which allows tooth movement over the course of a four-week period. Scheduling your appointment every four weeks also allows for more scheduling flexibility. Occasionally, we may ask that you return within two weeks in order to monitor your treatment more closely; this is usually toward the end of your treatment. In an effort to better serve our patients, we have invested a great deal of time training our team so that each appointment is scheduled properly and performed efficiently.

Our shorter appointments for appliance checks and regular adjustments are scheduled throughout the day including the late morning and late afternoon hours. The longer appointments, such as banding, de-bonding, emergency or appliance delivery appointments are reserved during work/school hours due to the complexity of the procedures. We ask that you please schedule your next appointment BEFORE leaving the office so that the appointment time you need is available.

Cancellations and Rescheduling
During the course of orthodontic treatment, it is imperative that you do not miss a scheduled appointment. Orthodontic forces must be monitored on a regular basis to insure the highest quality of orthodontic care. We do, however, realize that some circumstances cannot be avoided, and you will occasionally need to reschedule. In the event that you need to miss your regularly scheduled visit, we ask that you take the next available appointment to prevent treatment delays. Please notify our office at least 24 hours prior to your scheduled appointment if you need to cancel. This will allow us to offer your appointment to other patients. Because our most popular appointments are booked four weeks in advance, you may be asked to reschedule during work or school hours. For this reason, we encourage you to make every effort to keep your scheduled visit.

Late Arrivals 
In an effort to avoid missed appointments and late arrivals, you will receive a courtesy call reminding you of your appointment date and time. To ensure that you receive a reminder call, please notify us of any changes to your phone number. A message will be left with either a family member or on an answering system. Should you arrive late for an appointment, we will attempt to treat you. However, we may not be able to complete all of the scheduled procedures for that day. In most cases, you can be worked into an opening, assuming that all patients have been seen as scheduled. We will make every effort to work you in, but you may be required in some instances to reschedule your appointment. We ask for your patience if you have to wait while being worked in around other patients.

INSURANCE

Financial and Insurance Policies
In an effort to minimize confusion surrounding orthodontic fees, while maintaining the highest level of professional care, we have established our financial policies as follows:

FEES Treatment fees are quoted at the time of the initial examination. Fees are based on the concerns identified during the examination, the anticipated complexity and the duration of the treatment. The fees quoted are valid for six months from the date of the written quote.

PAYMENT OPTIONS Being sensitive to the fact that different people have different needs in fulfilling their financial obligations, we offer several different payment options. It is the policy of this office for services to be paid at the time they are provided, unless an extended payment plan has been arranged. We accept personal checks, flexible spending accounts, VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS and debit cards. We also work with a healthcare finance company (brochures available for details).

PHASE I / PHASE II TREATMENT An early phase of orthopedic and/or orthodontic treatment (Phase I) may be required to reduce the severity of jaw or tooth problems. Following completion of Phase I, an evaluation will be made to determine if additional problems exist which may require further correction. A Finishing Phase of Treatment (Phase II) may be recommended to complete the bite correction, with additional fees to be determined at that time. For our Phase I/Phase II patients, it is our policy to extend a partial credit from phase I treatment toward their phase II orthodontic fee.

INSURANCE POLICY If you have insurance, we will help you determine the coverage available to you and your family. The estimated orthodontic insurance benefit is based on information provided to us by the insurance carrier. If we are a participating provider for your insurance company, the orthodontic benefit will be paid directly to us and the balance of the fee will be your responsibility. If we are a non-participating provider for your insurance company, we can still file the standard claim for you and your insurance company will issue the insurance payment in the name of the insured person. (If the insurance provider does not pay a portion of the benefits, the unpaid balance becomes the obligation of the Responsible Party). Payment arrangements can be made in accordance with our standard office payment plans. Typically orthodontic coverage does not pay for the entire orthodontic fee: it usually pays a percentage of the fee to a maximum dollar amount determined by your insurance company. Professional care is provided to you, our patient and not to an insurance company. Thus, the insurance company is responsible to the patient and the patient is responsible to the doctor. We have a trained financial coordinator who will assist you with your insurance questions.

Participating Providers
We are participating providers in the following:

United Concordia
Metlife
Delta Dental
Guardian
Pennsylvania Chip
Cigna Dental Savings Plan
UPMC Dental Advantage
DenteMax
Humana

We will work with most insurance companies as a non-participating provider with a few exceptions. Please call the office if you have one of the dental plans not listed above.