Treatment cost clarity

A recent report from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman urged dentists to be clearer with patients about what they charge to help avoid confusion about the cost of treatment.

It identified 27 cases over the last two years where confusion about dental charging was an issue and found that the current system is confusing for both patients and dentists. Furthermore, it found that some practitioners fail to share treatment plans with their patients, despite an obligation to do so.

MDDUS dental adviser Doug Hamilton suggests that, while the vast majority of dentists would never intentionally misinform a patient over treatment options and costs, there seems to be an increasing number of complaints arising from fee related misunderstandings.

“Many of these disputes can be avoided by the provision of a cost estimate to patients prior to dental treatment being provided,” says Hamilton. “In fact, this is incorporated into the GDC Standards and, depending on the extent and nature of proposed NHS treatment, this fundamental part of the consenting process may also be a contractual requirement.