Why Do I Need to Quote the Textbook to Insurance Companies?

Today I ran into a situation where I knew what needed to be done for the patient’s best interest. I knew that my prosthodontics professor from dental school would also agree. I knew that if I looked hard enough I could find a quote in the dental textbook exactly explaining the reason for the procedure.

Sure enough, I had better line up all these references, have them sworn in, a notary on hand to stamp it and possibly video testimony in order to get this patient’s dental insurance to do their job: pay their portion. It is amazing the time, effort, employees, and general attentiveness required to get dental insurance companies to help take care of the patients who pay their salary. I can’t imagine the effort we take applied to let’s say getting that fender fixed after your fender bender in front of the grocery store. I’m pretty sure it would be easier than getting that occlusal guard paid for the patient with the bruxism problem.

I guess these are problems that only a percentage of the population ie dentists can complain about. But really what it leads to is less care and more trepidation and trouble for the people receiving and delivering the care.

On a musical note, we have been listening to a lot of Texas singer-songwriters like Townes Van Zant, Jerry Jeff Walker, and Robert Earl Keen. We’ve also thrown in a dash of early 90’s rock like Soul Asylum and the Spin Doctors.