steppinthrax
Active Member
I think I read somewhere the medical insurance was one of the "Don't buy in 2016" items.
Watch out for Tidewater Dental
- Thread starter Clem72
- Start date
I think I read somewhere the medical insurance was one of the "Don't buy in 2016" items.
PeoplesElbow
Well-Known Member
Never had a problem with them and have been going since 2007. I have the BC/BS plus the cheapest Metlife dental and have never paid a penny. They occasionally ask me if i want something extra and I turn it down. I only have one filling, from when i was 15 from a dentist who just bought a 300 acre ranch...
keekee
Well-Known Member
I had the same experience !
I went there years ago when my regular dentist was so booked that I couldn't get in.
Went for a cleaning and they insisted that they do x-rays since I was a new patient.
I agreed, and expected my usual x-rays, but they took over 20 shots, plus that panoramic thing.
I was disgusted by this huge charge to my insurance company, and then the huge bill I received for what wasn't covered.
I never went back, and I never will.
And by the way, my dentist has an insurance manager who calls your insurance company for you before you have a pricey procedure, so that he can tell you your cost after insurance.
I really think that Tidewater took advantage of my insurance company.
I went there years ago when my regular dentist was so booked that I couldn't get in.
Went for a cleaning and they insisted that they do x-rays since I was a new patient.
I agreed, and expected my usual x-rays, but they took over 20 shots, plus that panoramic thing.
I was disgusted by this huge charge to my insurance company, and then the huge bill I received for what wasn't covered.
I never went back, and I never will.
And by the way, my dentist has an insurance manager who calls your insurance company for you before you have a pricey procedure, so that he can tell you your cost after insurance.
I really think that Tidewater took advantage of my insurance company.
getbent
Thats how them b*tch's R
Which medical? BC/BS?
getbent
Thats how them b*tch's R
Most dentist offices are small and do not have a dedicated person. It's better to have them submit a preauth to get in writing what is covered and how much you'll owe. "Per our conversation" rarely holds up once submitted.
Dr. Cooper has been my dentist for...35+ years. And I think he is great. HOWEVER, I have noticed the big corporate office they seem to have become is pretty intent on salesmanship. And I have NO problem believing they tricked someone into getting something they didn't need. I agree with the other folks that the office needs to be a little more above board, know the policies they are making promises about and knock off the car salesman tactics. I hope Dr. Cooper sees this and takes the opportunity to talk with the rest of the team about pissing off people who've loved coming to him for eons...
Clem, This is Jeff Tomcsik the Manager of Tidewater Dental. First allow me to apologize for giving you a headache. I assure you this was not our intention. While I obviously cannot speak specifically about your situation in a forum due to privacy issues (HIPAA), I can address a few things that you brought to the site. First, I apologize for past billing issues. Many of our patients have multiple dental insurance plans. For instance a patient might have primary insurance through Aetna and Secondary insurance through BCBS. When this is the case we submit to primary and must wait for them to pay us before we are allowed to submit to the secondary insurance. This is very tedious and time consuming (because of this most dental practices do not submit to secondary on the patient's behalf) and may be the cause of some of these late bills that you are receiving. Without looking at your ledger, this is only a guess. In these cases we try to exhaust all efforts with the insurer before trying to collect from the patient. Regardless of why we sent you these bills I am sorry for the difficulty it has caused you.
I understand your frustration with your insurer not covering your PAN. I would be frustrated too, however I will say that our protocol of taking a PAN every three to five years is directly in line with the minimum standard of care that the ADA recommends. Our doctors believe that this is the correct diagnostic protocol to ensure the safety of our patients. Without X-Rays and Cone-Beam Computed Tomography we can miss any number of conditions that don't present to the naked eye that can cause you significant pain, cost, loss of teeth, loss of life (cancer). With this said, if we as health care practitioners, make decisions based on the dental insurance coverages allowed by your insurance company we are putting you, our provider, and the practice at risk. This is unethical and against our standard of care. Now, our failure in all of this was proper communication and education on the part of our staff so that, regardless of the cost, you saw the absolute value in the service we were providing. Incidentally, if you refused x-rays, our protocol would be to dismiss you as a patient if it causes you to fall outside our "minimum" standard of care. This is not because we are cold. It is because we care and we know the importance of diagnostic technology. It is an absolute fact that patients who follow the diagnostic and preventative recommendations of a fair and ethical dentist (which we pride ourselves on being) will spend less on dental care over the course of their lives than those patients who fail to.
What I take offense to in your post is the "Watch out for Tidewater Dental" title. This is truly unfair. While we may not be perfect, we go through great effort to accept nearly every insurance plan so that we can take care of our community (much to our financial loss). We keep our practices up to date and modern with technology and safety precautions that keep you safe at our cost. We invest in Continuing Education for every one of our employees to make sure you are getting the best care (not a practice most dental offices provide). And by your own admission in a later post, we do not over treatment plan and upsell. It is not our model. We truly care about our patients, not just for them. We want patients for life, so we don't try to upsell every hot, new cosmetic procedure. We give teeth whitening away for free to all of our good patients of record ($400 value). But yes, we are not perfect. Clem, please give me a call at your convenience if there is anything I can do for you to make you feel better about your experience. Thanks, Jeff 301-862-3900
I understand your frustration with your insurer not covering your PAN. I would be frustrated too, however I will say that our protocol of taking a PAN every three to five years is directly in line with the minimum standard of care that the ADA recommends. Our doctors believe that this is the correct diagnostic protocol to ensure the safety of our patients. Without X-Rays and Cone-Beam Computed Tomography we can miss any number of conditions that don't present to the naked eye that can cause you significant pain, cost, loss of teeth, loss of life (cancer). With this said, if we as health care practitioners, make decisions based on the dental insurance coverages allowed by your insurance company we are putting you, our provider, and the practice at risk. This is unethical and against our standard of care. Now, our failure in all of this was proper communication and education on the part of our staff so that, regardless of the cost, you saw the absolute value in the service we were providing. Incidentally, if you refused x-rays, our protocol would be to dismiss you as a patient if it causes you to fall outside our "minimum" standard of care. This is not because we are cold. It is because we care and we know the importance of diagnostic technology. It is an absolute fact that patients who follow the diagnostic and preventative recommendations of a fair and ethical dentist (which we pride ourselves on being) will spend less on dental care over the course of their lives than those patients who fail to.
What I take offense to in your post is the "Watch out for Tidewater Dental" title. This is truly unfair. While we may not be perfect, we go through great effort to accept nearly every insurance plan so that we can take care of our community (much to our financial loss). We keep our practices up to date and modern with technology and safety precautions that keep you safe at our cost. We invest in Continuing Education for every one of our employees to make sure you are getting the best care (not a practice most dental offices provide). And by your own admission in a later post, we do not over treatment plan and upsell. It is not our model. We truly care about our patients, not just for them. We want patients for life, so we don't try to upsell every hot, new cosmetic procedure. We give teeth whitening away for free to all of our good patients of record ($400 value). But yes, we are not perfect. Clem, please give me a call at your convenience if there is anything I can do for you to make you feel better about your experience. Thanks, Jeff 301-862-3900
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LostNFound
Member
Marketing is a turn off for very few. Most people love it. They must or the iphone wouldnt be as popular as it is. Same with junk jewelry parties and handbags etc. Its all marketing. Its shiny, new, the best and you need it. I agree- something about them seems shady and they are notoriously overpriced for services. Overpriced doesnt mean the best -but good marketing has people convinced a lot of things in this world are truly superior because the advert says so.
I just switched dentists- there are good ones out there. Ask friends and relatives if they are happy with theirs and try someone new OP.
Good to see a personal response, Jeff. However, as a lifetime patient of Dr. Cooper (myself and 3 generations of my family), I have also been frustrated with the "used car salesmanship" I see in that office recently. I had a relative bring a child in for me recently who was high-pressured into a treatment on the promise that it had been verified as covered by my insurance. It wasn't. And now months later I've received the first bill (as "past due"). There have been several other instances of high-pressure sales and flippant insurance promises. I always decline because frankly, I've learned not to trust your sales people. Unfortunately, the person who accompanied my child that day hadn't learned that lesson. And now our entire family is questioning your business. Quite sad because we really have always been huge fans of Dr. Cooper. At least I am glad to see that someone else is responsible for the business end of things.
The only issue I have had with Tidewater is that they submitted my claim 3 times to my insurance incorrectly. First try they needed to provide a reason for the service. Second they submitted it with an incorrect name. By the third time we were past a year so I had to appeal to the insurance company. I had to stay on top of it and in the mean time they kept a $150 overcharge hostage which was a over payment (I paid what my insurance covered but switched to my husband's coverage). I'm still waiting my check and it has been 4 weeks now. I hate that places want payment immediately but take forever to give you a refund.
Clem72
Well-Known Member
I appreciate a response from your office in this thread. Perhaps I should have added the word "billing" on the end of the title, but it does speak to how I felt at the time (and still do), that people need to be mindful of the billing at Tidewater and maybe as your post explains, learn more about the details of their own insurance(s). As you mentioned, I never have had an issue with the care received or the actual cost of services.
Just a couple of days ago we received another bill from your office for my wife's visit. She, as I do, asked multiple times if every co-pay and upfront charge was paid for, and yet another bill comes stating money is owed (PAST DUE!).
It's not the cost, it's the method of billing I take issue with.
So in general, if you could address just a couple of concerns I think it would go a long way towards making myself (and possibly many others) more comfortable.
1) Please don't send the very first notice of monies owed as "PAST DUE" or on pink paper stock. This feels accusatory as if I did something wrong, despite the fact that I always double or triple check that I have paid everything at the time of the visit.
2) Please add specifics to your statements (what was performed, was is paid and what is still pending). A single line saying "balance forward" doesn't help me understand why or how I owe you money. I shouldn't have to call my insurance company to find out what was submitted to them and not covered.
getbent
Thats how them b*tch's R
keekee
Well-Known Member
"Incidentally, if you refused x-rays, our protocol would be to dismiss you as a patient if it causes you to fall outside our "minimum" standard of care."
Wow... At my Dentist's office, I decide how often I get X-rays, and he has always respected my wishes and has allowed me to share in the decisions about my dental health and what procedures I have done.
I listen to, and greatly respect his suggestions and opinions. But the decisions are mine.
Sorry, but the above statement alone would make me run away very very quickly.
Wow... At my Dentist's office, I decide how often I get X-rays, and he has always respected my wishes and has allowed me to share in the decisions about my dental health and what procedures I have done.
I listen to, and greatly respect his suggestions and opinions. But the decisions are mine.
Sorry, but the above statement alone would make me run away very very quickly.
preselector
Member
That one bothered me also. The idea that a doctor would refuse medical care based on a prior refusal of diagnostic testing is troubling. The liability issue could be handled with a standard I Decline signature. "Doctor's orders" just added "or else".
After 30 years with Dr. David, the next time I say No could be the last.
mAlice
professional daydreamer
Guess I'll chime in here. I don't care for Tidewater, either. I've been overcharged, and I've gotten the hard sale. Dr. Cooper (not Todd) has a deplorable bedside manner, as do a number of his hygienists. I find that Tidewater personnel, as well as personnel of most dentist offices, are snooty, condescending, and look down there noses at anyone who doesn't have perfect teeth. I was also never offered the "free whitening".
In general, I hate dentists. They basically dream up ways to separate you from your money, and treat you like ####.
In general, I hate dentists. They basically dream up ways to separate you from your money, and treat you like ####.
getbent
Thats how them b*tch's R
Unfortunately in court, the odds of that holding up are slim. Patients lawyer will argue that he did not fully understand the importance of having the xrays done and they will side with the patient. The amount of radiation you get is far less than being outside for the day yet people will not think twice about the exposure they get at the beach or out on the boat.