Georgia Periodontics, P.C.

Appointments

Because we are a surgical practice, it is not always possible to stay exactly on time. Still, we pride ourselves on staying on schedule and rarely will you have much, if any, waiting time. Most scheduling delays arise because of patients arriving late. Please remember to allow for unpredictable traffic and parking, and give yourself a few minutes to spare.

Payments

Payment is due in full at the time of service for new patient consultations and dental cleanings. A walkout statement will be provided for those patients with insurance to attach to their claim form.

For surgical procedures payment is agreed upon in advance with a minimum of one-third of the total charges due on the day of the appointment. In most cases payment on surgeries can be spread over three to six months. No fees are accrued if the balance is paid within 60 days. After 60 days a service fee of 1 ½ % of your balance is added each month. Insurance is filed as a courtesy to our surgery patients and is considered when payment arrangements are made.

For your convenience we accept Visa, MasterCard, and Discover Cards. Alternative payment methods are available upon inquiry.

Insurance

Unfortunately, there is a great deal of confusion about dental insurance. Please remember that we do not work for any insurance company or for any PPO or HMO. We work for you. Our treatment recommendations are based solely on what we feel will give you the best periodontal outcome. Insurance companies' treatment recommendations are based solely on what is best for their profit margins.

There are two methods commonly used by dental insurance companies to limit your reimbursement. The first is the payment schedule, which limits the amount covered for any particular procedure. Most of these benefit tables are based on faulty and outdated information and cannot be justified. An insurance company may also limit payment because they claim the fee was greater than the "usual and customary" charge for that procedure. Again, it is impossible to ascertain how the insurance company arrived at their "usual and customary" figures, which can be less than half of those found in nationally published data. Moreover, we are not satisfied with "usual" or "customary" and you can expect unusual and extraordinary care at our office.

The second - and most restricting - limitation to benefits is the yearly maximum payment the dental insurance company will reimburse. Regardless of the procedure coverage, most dental insurance companies will cap payment between $1000 and $2000 a year. Thus, if the insurance company's scheduled re-imbursement for a $3000 procedure were $2400, they would still only pay up to their yearly maximum of, say, $1500.