Helpful insurance info
Burlingame Pediatric Dentistry is an out-of-network provider with PPO dental insurance plans. We are not contracted with any insurance company.
Please let our office know if your dental insurance has changed at least 1 week prior to your child’s scheduled appointment.
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You will receive an itemized treatment plan electronically on the day of your child's appointment, prior to the scheduled appointment time, which will list the planned procedures (for example, examination, cleaning and fluoride treatment) as well as the estimated insurance payment and any co-payment.
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All payments and co-payments are expected at the time of service.
We submit all claims electronically as a courtesy on your behalf.
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Our knowledgeable staff is available by phone and email to help you navigate your insurance questions and help you understand and maximize your benefits.
FOR PATIENTS WITH DELTA DENTAL
The majority of our patients have Delta Dental insurance plans, and we will help you through the process. Payment in full will be obtained at the time of service. Our staff will electronically submit your Delta Dental PPO or Premier plan claim as a courtesy on your behalf, and Delta Dental will then send its reimbursement directly to the subscriber on the plan.
How Delta Dental is different from other out-of-network plans
With other PPO dental insurance plans, the insurance companies allow assignment of benefits to be made directly to the provider, Burlingame Pediatric Dentistry. With this structure, prior to your child's scheduled dental appointment:
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our practice contacts your insurance plan directly via phone and/or through their website to verify that your child's dental insurance plan is active
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we review your child's benefits in detail to best estimate your insurance plan's anticipated payment for each procedure
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you are sent an estimated treatment plan listing procedures planned for your child's dental visit (for example, examination, cleaning and fluoride treatment) and their associated fees, with your insurance plan's estimated payment and your estimated co-payment
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any applicable co-payment is collected at the time services are rendered
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we submit your dental insurance claim electronically
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the insurance company mails us the benefit check within 2-4 weeks of receiving the claim
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any over/underpayment is addressed by sending you a refund or a statement showing the amount still to be collected
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With Delta Dental PPO/Premier dental insurance plans:
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Delta Dental does not allow assignment of benefits to be made to the out-of-network provider, Burlingame Pediatric Dentistry.
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you are sent an estimated treatment plan listing procedures planned for your child's dental visit (for example, examination, cleaning and fluoride treatment) and their associated fees
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Delta Dental requires that we collect payment in full at the time services are rendered.
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as a courtesy, we submit your dental insurance claim electronically to Delta Dental on your behalf
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Delta Dental then processes the claim and mails the benefit check directly to the subscriber on the plan in the subscriber's name, within 2-4 weeks of receiving the claim.
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Note: There are a very small minority of Delta Dental plans that allow reimbursement directly to the provider - we check for this when we verify your insurance benefits in advance of your child's appointment. If your plan falls into this category, we will include the estimated reimbursement in your child's treatment plan which will significantly lower your out of pocket up-front payment.
INSURANCE FAQs
Can my child still come to you when you are out-of-network?
Yes, definitely. All of our patients who have dental insurance see us as out-of-network patients. The benefit of having a PPO dental insurance plan is that you are able to choose your child’s pediatric dentist and you are not limited to in-network providers. We do not accept HMO plans.
Will I need to pay for everything out-of-pocket?
Fortunately most PPO plans will allow us to accept assignment of benefits as an out-of-network provider (**except for Delta Dental, see explanation above for details**). This means that your PPO plan will reimburse our office directly for covered services associated with your child’s dental appointment. You will be responsible for any balance on your child's account that is not covered by insurance. You will receive a treatment plan on the day of your child’s appointment with the estimated procedures (for example, exam, cleaning and fluoride) along with the estimated insurance coverage and patient portion (co-pay). After the appointment is complete, as a courtesy, we will electronically submit your insurance claim to your insurance company directly on your behalf within days of the date of service. If there is any balance remaining on your child’s account after the claim is processed by your insurance company, a follow up statement will be mailed to your family afterwards.
How will my patient portion (co-pay) work when Burlingame Pediatric Dentistry is out-of-network?
For patients using their out-of-network PPO benefits, for preventive and diagnostic services such as routine examinations, cleanings, fluoride and xrays there will often be either no or very minimal out-of-pocket cost. If you come to see us and you are out-of-network, it simply means that if there is a difference between our fee for a procedure and the Allowed Fee set by your insurance, then you are responsible for the difference. Our fees are based on Usual and Customary Rates (UCR) for pediatric dentists in our local geographic region and are typically set within or below the Allowed Fee range set by insurance companies who base benefits on UCR. Less commonly, the out-of-network benefits will be limited by a Fee Schedule determined between your employer and your insurance company. If your plan has a fee schedule, this information will typically only be available to us AFTER the claim is processed, and any balance remaining will be the responsibility of the subscriber.
What is a pre-treatment authorization?
The pre-treatment estimate or authorization is when the patient’s estimated treatment plan for an upcoming appointment is submitted electronically by our office as a courtesy to the family directly to the insurance company in advance of the appointment. The insurance company reviews the patient’s specific benefits plan, then mails a document to the subscriber on the plan and our office with a treatment cost estimate. This process takes at least two to four weeks for most insurance plans. In some cases the insurance company may delay processing and if the pre-treatment authorization is not received by our office by the child’s appointment date, we will estimate your child’s benefits based on what is standard for an average plan. The estimate is based on the type of plan your child has, eligibility, current plan benefits and the amount remaining in their annual maximum. Typically, plans will mail the estimate to the subscriber’s address and to our office. Even with preauthorization, insurance companies will never guarantee payment of a claim. They will not guarantee coverage or eligibility and can even refuse to provide specific dollar figures. If specifics are not provided by your insurance company, we will estimate based on what is standard for an average plan. Ultimately, your actual coverage may be different from this number. You are responsible for any unpaid amount by your insurance company. Actual benefit payments are determined only when a claim is processed by your insurance company.
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Are pre-treatment authorizations completed for all appointments?
No. Pre-treatment authorization is a lengthy and time consuming process, and even with pre-authorization, insurance companies will never guarantee payment of a claim. Upon written advance request by email provided at least one month prior to your child's appointment, we can submit a pre-treatment authorization to help obtain more information from your insurance plan. We do not postpone treatment appointments if a pre-treatment authorization is not received by the date of service. In those cases we will estimate based on what is typical for your plan, with the understanding that the treatment plan is an estimate only and any balance remaining after the claim is paid is the responsibility of the subscriber.
What if my employer has chosen a Fee Schedule for my plan?
If your employer has selected a plan that bases out-of-network coverage off of a Fee Schedule, this means that
the plan will pay the designated percentage of coverage for any given service up to the fee that has been agreed upon between your employer and the insurance company, i.e. the Allowed Fee. The Allowed Fee is lower than the UCR. Please keep in mind that often we can only obtain the fact that the plan has a fee schedule associated with it, only once the claim is processed. The insurance company will only provide our office with the precise coverage amounts when the claim for dental services is actually processed and the Explanation of Benefits (EOB) is mailed to our office. In those cases if there is any balance remaining on your child’s account after the claim is processed by your insurance company, a follow up statement will be mailed to your family afterwards and you will be responsible for the balance. Since we are an out-of-network provider and we are not contracted with any dental insurance plan, it is ultimately the responsibility of you as the subscriber to be aware of your plan's benefits and limitations.
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Any additional questions? You can email us at info@burlingamepediatricdentists.com or give us a call at (650) 239-9384 and we are here to help.