First Visit

Dear New Patient:

Welcome to our practice. We are very pleased that you have selected us for your oral surgery care. On behalf of our entire oral surgery team, we look forward to meeting you and would like to share some information with you prior to your visit to make you as comfortable as possible with your choice.

It is our mission to provide exceptional patient care, which goes beyond our clinical skills. We believe in treating the person behind the patient, as the confidence and trust you place in us defines our success and professional enjoyment. We achieve patient trust by offering the latest in dental and medical technology for optimal patient comfort and a caring staff who you can rely on to answer all of your questions.

At your first visit with our practice, Dr. Eisner will conduct a consultation to best asses your oral health needs. He will develop a treatment plan that is personalized to your specific care needs. We understand that there is a significant amount of information shared with you as a new patient, therefore, we can provide you with a copy of your personalized treatment plan on request. Our administrative coordinator will meet with you to go over your dental benefit plan and will then work with your schedule to find a time for your next appointment. Although we are diligent about answering all of your questions while you are in our practice, we encourage you to contact us at any time following your appointment.

Dr. Eisner tries very hard to stay on time with his patients, but sometimes emergencies do occur which can cause him to run behind. You can do your part by showing up for your appointment on time ideally submitting all your documents prior to your visit or bringing all your paper work completed.

We encourage you to fill out your patient registration form history prior to your appointment to assist our office staff and Dr. Eisner in making sure that we have all the information necessary to provide you with quality care and treatment.

What to bring with you on the day of your appointment if not previously submitted:

• Your health history form
• A list of all medications that you are currently taking.
• A list of your current medical provider(s)
• A copy of your referral slip and X-ray. If required by your insurance carrier a insurance referral/authorization.
• Your driver’s license, medical and dental insurance cards (mandatory if you would like us to accept assignment from your carrier).
• If you are a minor, you must come with a parent or legal guardian to your appointment.

Preparing for your first visit:

Inform Yourself

People come in to our office every day afraid, stressed out, and sometimes reactive. These mindsets tend to put up barriers between us and our patients, making patients less receptive of the skills, knowledge, experience, and tools we provide to assist them. We’ve found that the best way to allay our patients’ fears, whether the fears stem from pending treatment or financial constraints, is to build trust. We do this by honestly and objectively walking them through treatment plan options, policies, and when it comes time for it, the procedure.

There’s only so much we can do to inform you before you come in for a visit. We don’t know how much your treatment will cost if we haven’t even seen your mouth. We don’t know how much your insurance will cover until we do our due diligence by calling up the carrier, spending 20-minutes on hold, and extracting the benefit information from your insurance company. That’s why it helps for patients to familiarize themselves with their insurance benefits. Dental benefits are very different from medical (we equate dental insurance  to an annual gift certificate rather than actual insurance coverage), and oral surgery billing is different than general dentistry being that some oral surgery procedures are dental in nature and some are medical. Send us an email at [email protected] if you have questions or if you want to schedule an appointment, and you will get a prompt response. If you’d prefer the more traditional method, give us a call at (305) 279-8600. We want our patients to feel comfortable and confident when they arrive at our office, and being informed is the best medicine in this respect.

Come Prepared

Having all of your proverbial ducks in a row before you come in to our office will make your visit smoother, a more efficient use of your time, more informative, and even enjoyable. Below we’ve listed all the ducks you should get lined up by the time you see us.

 Allow enough time in your schedule for the appointment. We will give you the best estimate of how long the appointment will take, but it can vary depending on how many questions you have for the surgeon, or due to unexpected delays in our schedule. If we anticipate delays we will do our best to reach you before you come in.

•  Bring a list of questions for the surgeon. 
•  Bring a list of current medications you are taking, or bring in your medication bottles.
•  Call to ask us what will likely be done during your visit.
•  Bring a form of payment.

The Golden Rule

There is a lot of behind the scenes work, coordination, and planning that goes in to a single appointment. Our patients receive the benefit of decades of experience the doctor and staff have in running an efficient, professional surgical facility. We literally spend the large majority of our waking hours taking care and thinking of our patients’ well-being. With all that said, we aren’t perfect.

On occasion our schedule is thrown off – a patient comes in a little late and the schedule snowballs, we get an emergency patient we have to fit in, or the surgeon opens up someone’s mouth and finds an unexpected new challenge. There are things in surgery we can’t always anticipate. Our primary concern is with the health and safety of our patients, and addressing these concerns can sometimes get in the way with our running a tight schedule. We will do our best to call you in advance to let you know if we are running late. Please feel free to call our office before you leave for your appointment to check if we are running on time. Otherwise, it is helpful to make sure you allow a conservative amount of time in your own schedule for your appointment, and keep in mind that there is a grand scale of often critical patient concerns that we have to address at any given moment.

On top of his daily schedule of seeing patients, our surgeon is here long before the day begins and long after it ends to write notes, review x-rays, call patients, and discuss cases with referring doctors. Sometimes the surgeon is unable to give an immediate response to your call, or immediately follow up with you after your appointment. Don’t hesitate to call with questions or ask for an update of your case status. We are here to help you for the benefit of your health and well-being, we only ask for your understanding of any time constraints in getting back to you.

It is our practice to give you a conservative estimate of treatment costs. The large majority of our estimates are greater than the actual cost of treatment. On a rare occasion the treatment estimate we give you overestimates the amount your insurance will actually cover, or underestimates the actual amount due. Please realize that we are basing our estimates off of the information you, your referring dentist, and your insurance carrier give to us. If you are unsatisfied with your insurance coverage, talk to your employer, or the entity you get your coverage through.

We absolutely love to hear your feedback. The feedback we’ve received from our patients over the years has been hands down more valuable than any business or patient care consultant could have ever given us. In the past we have used such constructive critiques to change our entire business practices and the services our facility offers. Know that at our office your voice will be heard, so there is no need to raise your voice, or speak to our staff disrespectfully. Treat us as you would want us to treat you.

Important information: 

Patients under the age of 18

All patients under the age of 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at the consultation visit.

A pre-operative consultation and physical examination is mandatory for patients undergoing IV anesthesia for surgery.

Please alert the office if you have a medical condition that may be of concern prior to surgery (i.e. diabetes, high blood pressure, artificial heart valves and joints, rheumatic fever, etc.) or if you are currently taking any medication (i.e. heart medications, aspirin, anticoagulant therapy, etc.)

X-Rays

If your dentist or physician has taken x-rays, you may request that they forward them to our office. Please confirm with our office prior to your appointment that the X-Rays were received. If there is not enough time, please pick them up and bring them to our office. If additional films are necessary, they can be taken at our facility but please keep in mind if you have insurance, that your carrier will only cover a full set of X-Rays or a panoramic X-Ray every 3-5 years depending on your policy..

 

Tips to filling out patient forms

For our adult patients the responsible party for your account will always be self. Therefore, you only need to checkmark self and continue to the next section.

For our minor patients the responsible party MUST be the parent accompanying the patient even if it is the other parent that carries the insurance policies.

If you have insurance we will need your DOB and SS# as well as the insured parties. The name, mailing address, ID#, and phone number to both your dental and medical carrier.

You are the Keeper of Your Health

It’s sometimes easy to lose your individual sense of free will when you’re caught up in the healthcare system. Insurance companies try to dictate which doctor you can see, and doctors send you around to specialists who recommend a treatment you may need, but don’t necessarily understand why.

We see patient care as a collaborative effort in which the patient plays at the very least an equal part. Our part involves using our diagnostic tools and specialized knowledge to keep you informed about your health, and to help you along your best course of treatment. Your part involves being the keeper of your health, meaning your health is ultimately your responsibility. If you choose to come in to our office, you are personally and financially accountable for your visit. Having control over the fate of your own health is really an empowering notion, and we are here to guide you if need be.

Again, thank you for choosing our practice, we look forward to introducing you to our practice.

• Below is some additional information regarding extractions and preservation of Stem Cells.

        http://learnaboutdentalstemcells.com/eisner

Sincerely,

Eisner Oral Surgery Center