[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]The MDS Dental Practice and Benefits Committee wants to be sure you are informed that if your office is utilizing personal protective equipment (PPE) fee code D1999 or charging a PPE fee to your patients, you must notify each patient of this new charge in advance of the appointment. It is recommended that the patient receive this notification at the time of scheduling the appointment, but if the appointment is already scheduled, then the patient should be notified prior to arriving to the dental appointment. This ensures the patient is not surprised by the additional charge. Additionally, the MDS recommends that providers review their provider network contracts before implementing a PPE fee. Many insurance companies do not allow participating dentists to use the D1999 code and provider network contracts typically disallow an additional infection control or PPE fee.
There has been a lot of press on this subject recently, so be sure you are in the know on how to handle this situation to minimize misunderstandings in your office.
For more information, contact the Massachusetts Dental Society[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
