Healthy Grid has added its Cost-Calculator application to the Dental Optimizer to help dentists set price expectations for their services to patients.
The Cost-Calculator asks patients a series of questions to help determine what they need done to their teeth. Then their location is factored in, given the range of costs in different states. The company coordinated with multiple insurance companies to determine what is being paid to give a reasonable estimate of what insurance will cover, based on the patient's insurance status. The application then gives patients three tiers of estimates based on the average costs for their area.
While the Cost-Calculator began as a feature of the Dental Optimizer, Healthy Grid learned that it could stand on its own. The Cost-Calculator is available as a widget that dentists can attach to any component of their Web presence. For example, a dentist might choose to have the Cost-Calculator appear on their Web page so patients can get an estimate for a dental procedure while they're looking for a dentist. Dentists choosing to attach it to their own Web pages can control the range of estimates so the patients will receive consistent prices when they call for an appointment.
The Cost-Calculator is not a binding agreement between dentists and patients, but it can help with initiating conversation between the two parties, according to Healthy Grid.
