I think I may find a new dentist again

rang_27

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I just called to cancel my dental cleaning for tonight because I can't leave work early today. There is a $25 cancelation fee. I have never had that at a dentist before. What kind of non-sense is that? I rescheduled for Wednesday, so it's not like I'm never going there. Something came up at work, so now I get penalized for working the job that provides me the insurance to go to their office? I'm not happy. I'm getting my teeth cleaned and them I'm looking for a new dentist!
 

dixie_darlin

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Originally Posted by Rang_27

I just called to cancel my dental cleaning for tonight because I can't leave work early today. There is a $25 cancelation fee. I have never had that at a dentist before. What kind of non-sense is that? I rescheduled for Wednesday, so it's not like I'm never going there. Something came up at work, so now I get penalized for working the job that provides me the insurance to go to their office? I'm not happy. I'm getting my teeth cleaned and them I'm looking for a new dentist!
Alot of Drs. are doing that now
Even Medicaid ones
 

sharky

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to many folks cancel at the last minute leaving drs with openings and unable to fill
 

gingersmom

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That's pretty standard practice around here!

And only a $25 cancel fee? That isn't bad - some places charge you what the total visit wouild have cost if you cancel with less than 24 hours notice.
 

AbbysMom

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Originally Posted by GingersMom

That's pretty standard practice around here!
My dentist requires 48 hour notice for cancellation.
 

trouts mom

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Originally Posted by AbbysMom

My dentist requires 48 hour notice for cancellation.
Yep mine too...I have never noticed though because I never have had a reason to cancel..thankfully!
 

u8myufo

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I have a friend who is an assistant for a dentist, and she told me one year he took 186 days off so called sick so he could travel about to different places in his flash sports car. And his view of it was, private paying patients cover his costs so why should he worry about national health care people. I have been working that far away in the past that I have had to take the whole day off to go to the dentist, either unpaid or use a day of my holidays, having turned up on time I have been told on more than one occasion that it was cancelled due to the dentist being sick.Will they pay me for my loss? I think not.
 

icklemiss21

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Standard practice around here too. Mine charges the $65 visit charge if you cancel with less than 48 hours notice.

With such short notice they can rarely fill the appointment slot so it is lost time for them - I can see why they would charge.
 

natalie_ca

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Every dentist that I've ever gone to has a 24 hour cancellation policy. Many doctors are starting to do that as well. However, if my family doctor tried to charge me for a cancellation claiming he lost money because I didn't how up for my appointed time, I would file a complaint with the College of Physicians because he books 4 people at the same time at every quarter hour. There is no way he can see 4 people at once, so if you have an appointment at 2pm, there are 3 others that have the same appointment time as you do. So you are lucky if you get in by 3:30pm!!!
 
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rang_27

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I guess it's frustrating because the first time I ever went there, they were running an hour behind and I had left work early. They don't have many afternoon apointments. So my choices are leave work early and hope they aren't running behind or find a new dentist. This will only be my 3rd time at that office and frankly I wasn't thrilled with the fillings they did. It took a very long time and she and the assistant kept chit chating. I felt like "hello paitent in the chair. This is not all I have to do today!" Then to top it off she hit my facial nerve and 1/2 of my face was asleep. OH well, I guess I'll just stop compalining and pay the $25, I know I've cancled the same day on my last dentist and had no fee to pay.
 

lunasmom

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Yup, that's the standard fee. Heck, I've never heard of someone NOT doing it. Even our vets have charged a cancellation fee. Doctors, dentists, etc...less then 24 hours? Cancellation charge of $25 - $50.

Some docs/dentists though are forgiving if you cancel the appointment prior to their office opening for the day. That leaves them plenty of time to fill the slot with an emergency appointment.
 

lionessrampant

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My dad does that at his practice, only he charges th full cost of the appointment. With such short notice, he can't fill the spot, and then he loses his income, which also isn't fair, considering that the reasons people cancel aren't HIS fault. Medical professionals need to make a living, too, and it's a really hard row to hoe for them.

even with my teaching, I charge the full price for a lesson missed without proper notice (24 hours, except in the case of personal illness) and even then, I only let the reschedule, rather than giving them a refund. I need to make a living and I can't let other people's often really flimsy excuses dictate my salary from one month to the next.
 

brandi

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Originally Posted by lionessrampant

Medical professionals need to make a living, too, and it's a really hard row to hoe for them.
I cant imagine it being a "hard row to hoe" for a Doctor with an income like that...unless the spending was a little bit out of control!

That being said I understand people charging a cancellation fee, people cancel appointments for crazy things, I believe things such as a death in the family or family emergency should be excused but otherwise you should pay the fee. It keeps a business going and allows them to continue brining in money that would have other wise been lost!
 

lionessrampant

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Originally Posted by Brandi

I cant imagine it being a "hard row to hoe" for a Doctor with an income like that...unless the spending was a little bit out of control!
I feel that I need to put this myth to rest, because it's always p&*#$$# me off. Doctors don't work 9-5 hours like you and I do (actually, just you, since my hours are completely weird, although not in a doctor way). Doctors are on-call 24-7...at least, that's how the good ones will treat their patients. Doctors have to deal with private insurance companies...they are the ones that decide how much doctors will charge for services, not the actual doctor. They have to file claims. They have to deal with people filing frivolous lawsuits, because they think it would be an easy way to wring doctors of all of this extra money they've got lying around. The overhead a doctor pays to keep the practice running is EXHORBITANT. Their malpractice insurance (which they are required by law to have, even if they've never screwed up) os often priced so high that they struggle to pay practice expenses.

I grew up in a nice house, with nice things, and a father that absolutely worked like a DOG to give us a nice upper-middle class life. He paid his own way thorugh dental school and racked up a ton of debt and pays all of these awful fees and spends a huge amount of his life dealing with the devil incarnate (private insurers) just so his patients can rest easy.

So, it's not an easy 9-5 gig like most of us have. You get crap from your patients (the ones you're busting your butt to help) and crap from insurance companies. And don't you want the person in charge of giving you a root canal to be happy and well-paid?

I just...grrrrrrrr. I get so MIFFED when people assume that being in the medical field is all sunshine and puppies. It's not, and they deserve every cent of the money they bring in, because quite frankly, the work harder and their work is more helpful and honest* then most of ours.

*Not to imply that the rest of us are dishonest, or to imply that there are no quacks out there. But most doctors are wonderful and doing this world a HUGE service, rather than trying to clean you out. You can thank your insurer for that. And if you don't have insurance, thank your government.
 

brandi

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I know people in the medical field have it good and make good money even with paying all of that, I know several Doctors, They make excellent money many of them drive either a Lexus or a Mercedes both very nice and not cheap cars, they have huge homes and they are wonderful doctors one is an ER doctor the other a dentist and both are incredible I would reccommend them to anyone! I agree with having to have malpractice insurance I believe it should be a have to have. My dad passed away at the hands of some idiot who thought he knew what he was doing and yes we sued! I know Doctors dont work 9-5 jobs, how could they and still do what they do, I never implied that I thought all doctors or medical professionals work 9-5 shifts! I understand doctors do this world wonderful a service as I said My family have several as friends. Though there are a few that shouldnt be allowed to practice medicine on dolls because of either screwing something up or ripping them off.
 
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