Your dental practice is reopening, or resuming its normal operations, after shutting down or limiting services during the COVID-19 pandemic. You want to make sure your staff and your patients are protected. That means having an adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE). We already provided some guidance to help determine which PPE is ideal for your practice. All that equipment has to come from somewhere—and be paid for by someone. In this article, Bryant Consultants will seek to answer the question of how to determine who pays for the PPE your practice needs.
What does the ADA recommend?
In a statement, the ADA considers it “inappropriate for any third-party benefit program to unfairly place the cost burden on dentists by disallowing or bundling charges for PPE on the pretext that the payment for additional required PPE is included in the payment for any other procedure billed for the visit.”
The ADA also is asking that insurance carriers not bundle or disallow fees related to PPE. Instead, PPE costs should be treated the same as any other non-covered benefit. This gives you the option of passing along that cost to your patients. The ADA also recommends using a standard documentation for additional PPE usage, which would entail adjusting templates.
It’s advised that all dentists follow CDC guidelines related to wearing PPE in light of COVID-19:
- Face masks or cloth face coverings for everyone entering the office, staff as well as patients, regardless of whether or not they’re experiencing coronavirus symptoms
- Screening everyone upon arrival for fever and other symptoms of COVID-19
- Screening team members for fever and COVID-19 symptoms upon arrival for every shift
How do you charge patients for PPE?
First off, be honest and transparent about these additional fees. Let the patient know ahead of time—preferably by a written notice that is displayed prominently in your office, but also by making posts on your website and social media channels. The reasoning behind these fees should be explained thoroughly and use the proper wording. What is considered appropriate wording? In short, you want to emphasize that the reason behind any PPE-related fees is to increase safety for your team and your clients. You also can mention the fees as part of a greater informational explanation of all the safety precautions your practice is putting into place to help limit the spread of coronavirus. We also recommend letting patients know that any PPE-related fee represents just a fraction of the total amount you’ve made in protection—whether that means PPE, new disinfecting products, or cleaning processes.
Guiding Your Practice Through COVID-19
Reopening your practice is just the first step in regaining some semblance of normalcy during this uncertain time. You’re not on this journey by yourself. Bryant Consultants is here to use all our experience and expertise to help your practice. That’s why we’re offering a free one-hour consultation for any dentist with questions or concerns about their future plans. Schedule your consultation today by calling (877) 768-4799. Are you on social media? We are too! Please connect with us on Facebook and Instagram.
