Doctors E-MAILS about United Concordia

November 2000

It seems as though those few days away recharged your UCC ires!  Good luck with your crusade. Personally, I don't think those jerks deserve any more of my energy. They have cost me enough in time, money and agida these past 20 years. 

Let me focus on patient care and not insurance models. See you at the gym  this weekend.

Joe

Steve, 

Congratulations on dumping them keep it up! Dump them all! It can be  done and you won't believe what a feeling of freedom you will have and how it  changes your entire outlook on practice. Mrs. Smith is a bitch? Charge her  twenty percent more. Charge her and everyone else. whatever you want;  whatever is appropriate. You don't have to charge the same amount to everyone. The ADA will never do anything that requires any sense of belief in what we  do. They are slug like in progress and total retards as far a dentistry goes. They won't even say that amalgam is good OR bad! 

ttyl, Bob

Robert M. Maher, DDS

Several years ago, when we were having a problem getting paid in a timely manner (multiplesubmissions being the norm), we contacted our local  congressman's office. Since we aredealing with a military contract here, I  had a UCCI vice -president within a couple of weeks visiting in our office, to help straighten out the mess.

My very strong suggestion is to contact your congressman on this issue as  well.

Dan

Stephen, 

Does United Concordia have a clause in the contract that REQUIRES you to do a  PTE before certain treatment? 

Bob Deason 
 
No, they singled a bunch of us out, on the basis of their utilization reviews, and told us we had to. 

Stephan, 

If it doesn't stipulate in the original contract that you must send in PTE'S  then you don't have to. They cannot unilaterally decide to change the rules in the middle of the game without a new contract. They can however end their relationship with you unless you agree to a new contract. 

If they chose to end their relationship with you because of "overutilization" then you are to be congratulated for being ABOVE the usual and customary dentist. 

Best personal regards, 

Bob Deason 

Steve,

Have you considered taking your "problem" to your local society's Peer Review Committee. It is my understanding that one of the "jobs" of that committee was to intervene in insurance company/doctor/patient disputes. While it might seem like a futile effort, it would seem to me that IF you got a body of your peers agreeing with you, it would carry more weight than trying to carry-on with the good-fight all by yourself. 

Joe Heher
Salisbury, MD

Yes Joe, tried the dental association at the state level without much help there.

Hi Steve 

I have a practice that is very similar to yours and I respond to insurance questions and denials with a vengence.

I would strong suggest that you document all of your treatment in which you will submit a form with United. Send them reams of intra oral photos, slides, prints to the point that they will no longer be able to challenge your work or clinical judgement. David Baird of Seattle documents all of his treatment in both still and video photography both for teaching purposes as well as clinical verification. 

Or. . . . you can have all of us take photography of all of our work that they would deem unncessary. How many times have u decided to do Air Abrasion only to learn that you almost have a pulp exposure? I would be happy to help you in any way that I can. 

Best regards 
Gerald Benjamin (Cropseyville, NY) 
1400 hours of cosmetic/restorative education 
1999 Winner AACD Smile Contest 
visiting clinical instructor SUNY/Buffalo Esthetic Dentistry Education Center

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