|
OFFICE POLICIES:
Scheduling
Appointments
We make every effort to work with our
patients to find appointment times that best
work within their schedules. To give the
best and most efficient care, we must work
within an appointment system, but are
available for walk-in and emergency
appointments, as best we can accommodate.
When you call for an appointment, be sure to
give all the information about the type of
care you and your family members need so
that we may schedule the right amount of
time for you and your family members. If you
would like all your family members to be
seen at the same visit, please be sure to
call the office and ask about family
scheduling.
For those with unpredictable schedules,
unable to arrange an appointment in advance,
we will gladly contact you as frequently as
you wish for appointment times available on
short notice. This approach has worked well
for many, enabling everyone to get the care
they need. Contact us and ask to be placed
on the “ASAP list.”
Confirmation
Policy
As a courtesy, calls are made to patients to
confirm their upcoming appointment; it is
ultimately the patient’s responsibility to
confirm their appointment. A confirmation
call is required to hold all
appointments and calls must be received at
least 24 hours in advance. Appointment
slots will not be held for unconfirmed
patients. If an unconfirmed patient
arrives for the appointment they may be
asked to wait or rescheduled to another date
or time.
Appointment
Cancellation Policy
Patients are asked to notify our office 24
hours in advance, if they need to cancel
an appointment.
If a patient does not show up, or cancels
with short notice (short notice is defined
as less than 24 hours) for their first
appointment, they will be immediately
dismissed from our practice.
Patients that miss or cancel with short
notice two (2) appointments within a
six-month period will be dismissed from our
practice.
This policy is in effect to best-utilize our
professional staff, while servicing patients
with their dental care needs.
If an appointment was missed due to
uncontrollable circumstances, a letter may
be written explaining the situation and
asking for consideration of reinstatement of
patient status. Letters should be addressed
to Operations Director, Hillcrest Dental
Care, 788 South Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201 |
|
For your convenience, you may wish to
download the health history form and patient
registration sheet (above) and bring in the
completed forms.
Once we have you entered into our system, an
assistant will take a full-mouth series of
x-rays and document your perio-charting
(measurement of the pockets between your
teeth and gums). The dentist will do a
comprehensive exam and answer all of your
dental questions, while working with you to
come up with a treatment plan that works
best for you and your oral healthcare needs.
We will print off a treatment plan for you
to take home with you. The treatment plan
will list any restorative work you and the
dentist discuss along with the cleaning
option that is best for you. At this time we
will schedule you for any necessary
restorative work and your initial cleaning.
There are two different types of cleaning
and during your exam, your dentist will
determine which is best suited for you and
your oral health needs. We wait to schedule
this until we have seen you and your x-rays
to make sure that we have scheduled you for
the appropriate level of cleaning required. |
