Member Question: Why is my dentist no longer taking the plan?

Questions From Our Members

This question has been asked by several members:

I've been going to a dentist on the plan for awhile now and I have always been happy there.  I got this letter in the mail from Savon saying that my dentist has decided to quit participating in the plan.  Why did they decide to quit and what can or should I do?

Savon’s Answer

There are a number of reasons that dental facilities discontinue their participation in a dental plan:

Greed:  The plan has sent them a lot of patients and now they feel they can make more money off the same patients if they drop the plan.

Compliancy:  The dental office feels that they have built such a good rapport with their patients that even if they drop the plan that the patient is on, the patient(s) will stay with the dental office and pay the higher price.

Plan fees are too low:  The fees that the plan allows the facility to charge its members are so low that the dental office is losing money treating the plan members.

Not enough usage:  The plan simply does not send the dental facility enough patients to make it worth participating any longer.

Other reasons:

-The facility has started its own “in house” plan.

-The facility was sold and the new doctor does not wish to participate.

-The patients that the plan sends to a facility are only interested in the “free” services that the plan offers.

In most cases the bottom line is greed.  One dental office that recently discontinued participation simply stated that:

“We don’t need the plan anymore.  We can give your members a 25% discount off our own fee.  They will stay with us because they are comfortable with us and we’ll make more money.”

Savon Dental Plan strives to maintain a fair and balanced Schedule of Benefits.  Every preferred provider is given an opportunity to give us their input as we adjust the Schedule of Benefits.  Every dental facility on this plan has passed a very strict credentialing process.  Each facility is monitored for complaints on a regular basis by our Director of Provider Relations and most of the facilities are visited every 6 to 8 weeks by our field liaison.

The only way to combat greed and compliancy is to refuse to accept it.  If enough members choose a new dental facility, it will hit the old dental facility where it hurts the most, in the schedule and in the wallet.  The moral here is:  You don’t have to stay with that facility and pay higher prices for the exact same quality treatment that you will receive at any other dental facility that participates on Savon Dental Plan.

If you have received one of these letters and have any questions, concerns or need help in selecting a new dental facility, please call our Customer Care Center at 800-809-3494. Our office hours are Monday thru Thursday 9am to 4pm m.s.t. and Friday 9am to Noon.  Our phones are monitored live after hours and on weekends and holidays.

(the content of this blog was originally posted in our November 2015 Newsletter in the article "Here's Your Answer")