Update letter regarding Delta Dental Insurance

10-23-23

Dear Delta Dental Patients,
​
After many months of deliberation, our practice is making an important change.  Effective January 1, 2024, we will be opting out as a contracted provider in Delta Dental’s network. 
Please know that dropping our last in-network insurance agreement was a difficult decision.  We wouldn’t be doing it if it weren’t necessary to our success and survival as an independent (not corporate) small business.  This is the professional health care model we believe in and get to continue being.
Our decision to go out of network directly impacts you.  If you have a Delta Dental PPO plan, which most of you do, you have the choice to go to any dentist you want.  While your insurance will still participate with out-of-network dentists, for most plans, you do get the most savings with an in-network dentist. 
Many of you have been with us a long time.  We value these relationships with you and hopefully have built lasting trust.  Of course we prefer that you stay, and many of you will.  It is not uncommon to go to an out-of-network provider.  All of our non-Delta patients that have insurance are seeing us out-of-network.  If you can stay:

• We still file the insurance for you, you still have coverage, and they still either pay us or you directly for their portion of your expenses.
• The increased cost is a significantly smaller sum for patients who primarily need routine maintenance like xrays , exams, and cleanings – with an occasional filling than it is for patients who need larger work like crowns, bridges, and implants.
• There are many Delta Dental plans.  Some of them are much better than others.  To fully understand your specific dental plan’s benefits and reimbursements, we encourage you to reach out to either your human resources department or your insurance provider.  We are here to help you in whatever capacity we can, **but Delta Dental does not share out-of-network plan benefits with us. 
• We can also file predeterminations for you to try to help you estimate your out-of-network costs.  Sonya will start to have a better sense for how they cover you, once she does several predeterminations for several plan types. 
• If you do have pending work to be done, and you would like to schedule that work before losing your highest benefit, we encourage you to call us as soon as possible.  The hygiene schedule is booked, but we should be able to accommodate your restorative needs (the doctor procedures).

 
For those of you who cannot justify proceeding under our care, we will absolutely respect and understand your choice.  We are also truly sorry to lose you.  If you need to explore beginning care with another office:

• Visit deltadental.com, click find a dentist.  You can search by zip code.
• Let us know when you find a new office and request that we email your most recent xrays.
• Like our Delta patients who are staying, you might also have pending work that you would like to do before finding another office.  Call as soon as possible.  Hygiene is booked, but we should be able to accommodate your restorative needs (the doctor procedures).
• You are welcome to return as a new patient again at a later date, and we would be so happy to have you back.

 
Take some time to decide what is right for you and your family, and reach out. 
 
 
 
Respectfully,
 
Colleen Nothern DDS  
Little House Dentistry
512-443-6167