My practice currently participates in two dental insurance plans; Delta Premier and Cigna PPO. These
two insurance plans allow me to participate, and still practice in the
manner that I am accustomed. We welcome new patients from these plans
and enjoy treating them.
That being said, my dental practice is predominately a fee for service practice that has been in existence for over thirty years. Now please do not get me wrong, many of my colleges are in network with a number of dental insurance plans and participation can be a good way for a dentist to become more known and attract new patients. Starting out in Manhattan as a dentist can be daunting especially since there are so many dentists to choose from. This is why I believe dentists starting out often participate in many dental insurance plans.
While participating in dental plans can be a good strategy to get new patients, it can be challenging for many dentists who may feel pressured to maintain the efficiency necessary for generating a good income.
My dental practice today is a more pleasant environment than the one that I worked in during the early 1980's. I predominantly worked in "insurance" dental practices run by other dentists. Patients were scheduled with just enough time to complete a procedure. This worked fine if everything went according to plan, but not all patients are equally easy to treat nor were are all procedures ( even with the same insurance code) . Often I worked in two rooms and staggered my patients so that I could be more efficient. For the most part, during this phase of my career I worked extremely hard and had little income to show for it.
My dental practice today is a more pleasant environment than the one that I worked in during the early 1980's. I predominantly worked in "insurance" dental practices run by other dentists. Patients were scheduled with just enough time to complete a procedure. This worked fine if everything went according to plan, but not all patients are equally easy to treat nor were are all procedures ( even with the same insurance code) . Often I worked in two rooms and staggered my patients so that I could be more efficient. For the most part, during this phase of my career I worked extremely hard and had little income to show for it.
Thirty years ago I was able to purchase a small fee for service practice at my present location and I started to really enjoy dentistry. I had the luxury of allowing enough time for each patient.. Although for the first 5 years or so, my income also was not stellar, I was happier with my circumstances and gradually I was able to increase my income to a respectable level.
Although I maintain a fairly busy dental practice, I am still open to evaluating other insurance plans for future participation, but will only choose to participate in those plans that will allow me to practice in the way that I am accustomed.
This is a good post on an important topic. In my opinion, many people are most concerned with finding a dentist who accepts there insurance and the quality of his work is a secondary consideration. Going to an excellent out of network dentist often is a affordable option that they should consider.
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