Quick question for any dentists or people who have close ties with dentists;
1. What percentage of your work is Fee for Service?
2. What would you consider a "good" fee for service percentage? What would be considered an "unacceptable" percentage of FFS? (of course 100% FFS is best, I'm being realistic. In addition, I know I do not want to work in a "mill" with 0% FFS)
3. How does dealing with insurance differ than FFS (e.g.- why do many people dislike dealing with insurance companies?)
Thank you and please excuse my naivety regarding this issue. Have a nice day.
What I find is a funny trend these days in dental management is the mis-use of the term "fee for service."
Be careful when you look... the best definition I've seen is the following:
"When you're covered by fee-for-service health insurance, you pay your medical bills and file for reimbursement from your insurance company. Most fee-for-service plans pay a percentage often 70% to 80% of the amount they allow for each office visit or medical treatment." -
Link
Or you can wiki it: "Patients frequently pay providers directly for services, then submit claims to their insurance company for reimbursement."
Link
How this has been misconstrued is that many people list their practices as 80% FFS, 20% PPO... What this generally means is that the 20% are contracted as "in-network" providers and accepting a lower fee schedule and those other 80% are often "out of network" dental plan providers. You have moderate freedom but are still dependent upon the dental plan companies to provide you with the % the patient doesn't pay during their prep/impression/seat visits.
True FFS = patient pays FULL fee at date of service (or 1/2 down start visit, 1/2 seat visit, but in the end, they pay 100% of the fee). These patients are "cash" patients who do not have dental plans. While it is possible they have their own dental plans, a true FFS model requires that they file a claim on their own and receive reimbursement directly to them and not to the dental office/provider. This is the true "ideal" in a dental practice and is nearly 100% freedom from the evils of the dental benefit companies.
There is nothing unrealistic about wanting to practice 100% FFS... it is possible and should be the goal of any aspiring dentist. It's not always possible depending on practice location.
