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Fees, Refunds & Attendance Policies

It is our aim to inform the patients about the fees and payments they will have to pay prior or during their treatments at the practice.

We will always make sure that:

  1. A price list will be displayed at the reception and on our website so that everyone have access to the treatments price list.
  2. We always present the patient with a detailed treatment plan highlighting the number of appointments with the treatments the patient should expect to be done on each visit to the practice, and nonetheless, the cost for those treatments. If during the treatment, your dentist comes to the conclusion that the treatment plan needs to be adjusted, than the patient will be fully informed about the changes and explained why the adjustments are needed. The patient will be asked to agree and sign a new consent form before commencing with the proposed changes.
  3. When a patient accepts a treatment plan,  all the cost of the mentioned in that treatment will remain unchanged until the treatment completion or its abandonment by the patients.
  4. All treatments paid in advance or any deposit paid for treatments that have not been completed will be refunded in full, unless the amount the patient has in his account has been abandoned or is encumbered by any charges for Late Cancelation or Fail to Attend, as detailed below.
  5. Any amount paid in advance or any deposit paid by a patient is considered abandoned and it will not be refunded if the patient fails to claim the money within the 90 days from his last appointment or the date of the payment.

Payments in advance / Deposits:

  1. All new patients are requested to pay a deposit covering their new patient registration and exam with the practice. We ask the patients to make that payment at the phone when the appointment is made.
  2. All non-registered patients will have to pay a deposit equal to the clinical time charge for any emergency appointments.
  3. At each appointment a 50 % deposit from the total cost af the next appointment will be requested.

Late Cancelation and Failed to Attend

  1. Represents a late cancellation any appointment cancelled or rescheduled with less than 2 days prior the appointment.
  2. Represents a Failed To Attend ( FTA) any appointment to which the patient fails to attend without informing us about his incapacity to attend to his appointment.
  3. For appointments up to 30 minutes long, any patient being late 5 minutes or more will have his/her appointment cancelled and classed as late cancellation or FTA. For longer appointments and the patient will be late for 10 minutes or more the same rule will apply.  Please understand that calling the practice and informing that you will be late or that you cannot attend at all, will not change the fact that this is still a late cancellation. Even if you are attending to that appointment, being late might not be sufficient time for the dentist to see you and carry out with the treatment at that time. In such cases you might be required to book an another appointment for a later date. Nonetheless, any deposit paid for that appointment will be lost and a new deposit might be required when you are booking the new appointment.

Charges for Attending Late, Late Cancelation and Failed to Attend

We, as a clinic, have a limited number of appointments per day in which we can see and treat patients. Every appointment cares within a clinical cost. Every patient who fails to attend or make a late cancellation not only that prevents other patients to benefit from their needed treatments, but also they are putting an incredible pressure on the practice’s running costs and ultimately, on the treatment prices.

Nonetheless, due to the COVID-19 new working protocols, the cost of PPE and the appointments duration, the practice board decided that a penalty charge will be applicable to those patient who makes a late cancelation or fail to attend an appointment, as follows:

  1. A penalty charge equal with the the cost of the new patient exam will be issued. If applicable, the penalty charge will be companstate against the deposit paid for the new patient exam.
  2. A penalty charge equal with the clinical time charge for emergencies appointment will be issued. If applicable, the penalty charge will be compensated against the deposit paid for for the emergency appointment.
  3. A pro rata penalty charge for of £75 for every 30 minutes of any late cancelation, for FTAs appointments or for being 5 minutes or more late to the appointment. The penalty will be charge and deducted from any payment in advance made by the patient.
  4. If a patient fails to attend and there was no deposit paid in advance the practice will sent the patient the charge invoice via the post, inviting the patient to pay within the next 14 days. If the patient refuses to comply the practice will use all the legal means to recover the debts from the patient.

Practice policies regarding cancellations, late cancelation and failed to attend 

The practice can deregister without notice and/ or refuse to accept to see or register any patient who:

  1. Was late at his registration appointment or to any emergency appointment.
  2. had three or more cancellations during a treatment plan or in the last 12 months;
  3.  had two or more late cancellations during a treatment plan or in the last 12 months;
  4.  had one or more FTAs during a treatment plan or in the last 6 months.
  5. has not responded to the standard 6 months regularly examinations recalls, called or contacted the practice in any way, nor attended the practice for at least 9 calendar months in a row since the completion of his /her last treatment in our practice.

16 The Gerard Centre

29 Gerard Street, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 9AN

Call us!

01942 835 165

Opening Hours

Mon - Fri: 9:00 - 17:30

Send Us a Message

office@ashtonsmileclinic.co.uk
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