IMPORTANT Insurance Changes AT PHD
To our valued patients,
Since opening our doors in 2016, we have been committed to providing exceptional dental care to you, our patient family. Ensuring you receive the highest standard of care has always been and will always be our priority. Increasing constraints and challenges with insurance contracts have made it difficult for us to maintain the high quality of care that we promise to our patients. Therefore, after much consideration, we are making a change to our participation status with certain insurance networks. Effective October 1st, 2024, we will still accept, but no longer be contracted as in-network providers for the following insurances and their affiliated networks:
Guardian
MetLife
We understand that this change may raise questions and concerns. We are committed to being transparent throughout this change.
Here’s what you need to know (and more faq here):
Continuing Care: You can still be a patient in our practice, and we hope you will!
We will continue to accept your insurance as an out-of-network provider. PPO dental plans, like yours, allow you to choose your preferred provider. We hope you choose to stay with us and maintain continuity of care.Insurance Claims: We will continue to submit your dental insurance claims on your behalf. You won’t need to worry about submitting your own claims or dealing with insurance processing. Leave that to us!
Co-payments and Balances: As usual, you will be responsible for any co-payments and unpaid balances based on your insurance plan. Depending on your insurance plan, you may experience changes in the reimbursement levels or out-of-pocket costs. Our team can assist you in understanding the changes to your coverage and help you navigate this transition.
Honoring In-network Fees: To help our patients with planned treatment during this transitional phase, we will honor the in-network fees for any existing treatment plans and recare appointments (dental cleanings, exams, x-rays) until the end of 2024. We hope this will alleviate any scheduling constraints for you.
Why are we making this change?
Please know this was a difficult decision for our practice to make, as we know this will directly affect many of you, some who have been with our practice for a long time. As an independent dental office, we are committed to delivering personalized, comprehensive, and high-quality dental care with the best in dental technology and materials. We are unwilling to compromise our clinical standards to meet the increased restrictions imposed by insurance companies on their in-network providers. Rather than lower our standard of care, we have chosen to eliminate our preferred status with these insurance companies.
What are my other options?
As an alternative to traditional dental insurance, we offer in-office benefits plans. Many of our patients who don’t have an employer-sponsored insurance plan or buy their own dental insurance find this convenient and cost-saving. You can find more information on the plans offered here. Please send us an email at hello@potrerohilldental.com if you are interested in signing up.
We hoped to have this conversation with you in person, but we wanted to give you the courtesy of knowing prior to your next appointment and to have time to plan for any upcoming insurance/HSA/FSA open enrollment.
We are here to help you understand your dental plan benefits! Please reach out to us if you have questions about your future insurance coverage with our dental providers. In most cases, we can send out a pre-determination to get more details on your out-of-network benefits. To request this, please contact our office via email at hello@potrerohilldental.com or call/text us at 415-890-4449.
We hope that the care you have received from us and the partnership that we have built as advocates for your oral health will encourage you to continue with our practice.
If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Sincerely,
The Potrero Hill Dental Team