Office Policies

Sean P. Cooney, DMD, LLC is committed to providing all patients with exceptional service and care. Please read the following carefully as it outlines important information about patient obligations at our office.

• Treatment Plan Estimates

  • Sean P. Cooney, DMD, LLC prepares a Treatment Plan Estimate so that patients can understand the estimated costs of their recommended treatment prior to its start. The Treatment Plan Estimate is a good-faith attempt to predict the cost of your treatment based on the facts known to Sean P. Cooney, DMD, LLC when the estimate is made. As your treatment progresses, Dr. Cooney may determine in consultation with you that different or additional treatment is necessary and your financial responsibility may change. Your Treatment Plan Estimate of insurance benefits is based on information provided by your insurance company and by you. It is an estimate and your insurance benefits may be higher or lower than estimated. Please understand that your dental insurance contract is between you or your employer and the dental insurance company. Our office is only a provider of treatment and has no authority over the insurance company in decisions of payment or non-payment of claims. We file your insurance claims as a courtesy to you and in the event that your insurance denies a treatment already completed or in the process of being completed, you, in all cases, are responsible for amounts not covered by your insurance. In all cases, we encourage all patients with insurance to refer to their member handbooks or to call their plan administrators with any questions or concerns relating to specific benefits. It is the patient's responsibility to make sure that their dental insurance remains in effect throughout the course of their care. Your employer may change or terminate your coverage. If your coverage changes and our office is not notified or reimbursed for your care, any remaining balance becomes the patient's responsibility immediately.

• Refund Policy

  • All refunds will be made by check and mailed to the original payor. Any refund of payment originated through third party lenders must be refunded to the original account. Please contact the third party lender for more information regarding their refund policy as processing of refunds may not be reflected on an account for up to 2 billing cycles. Upon receipt of a request for a refund, Sean P. Cooney, DMD, LLC will confirm all patient and insurance payments have cleared the bank (this may take 15 business days or longer). Once the credit balance is confirmed, Sean P. Cooney, DMD, LLC will issue a refund check within 10 business days.

• Appointment Policy

  • Each appointment time we give for your treatment is reserved just for you. Please understand that we have many patients wanting to be seen and that failure to keep your scheduled appointment means not only inconveniences to our office, but to other patients with needed treatment. If our office does not receive at least a 48 hour notice you may be given an appointment on a last minute basis. Missed appointments will be subject to a fee of at least $50 for minor treatment and $100 for major treatment. This fee is applied to payment of staffing and facility costs for your missed appointment. Our office schedules an appropriate amount of time for each appointment. In consideration for our other patients, it is important that you arrive on time, if not early, for your appointment. Patients who arrive more than 15 minutes late for their appointment may be rescheduled for treatment. We strive to maintain a safe environment for our patients and we do not allow children or other family members in the operatory during an appointment. In addition, children under the age of 10 are not permitted in the waiting area unsupervised. Unruly children will not be permitted to remain in the office for any reason.

• Payment and Financial Policy

  • Payment for major treatment is due before treatment is scheduled. Payment for all other treatment will be due at the time of service. Patients are always responsible for amounts not covered by insurance, regardless of whether the original estimate included an expected insurance benefit, unless prohibited by law. Our office receives limited knowledge of your specific dental coverage from the dental insurance company and while we use our best efforts to work within the exclusions of your specific plan, our first priority is the diagnosis and treatment of your dental issues in a conservative manner consistent with the standard of care. We will do our best to prepare you for any additional financial responsibility, but ultimately, the responsibility of knowing your insurance coverage lies with you, the patient. Sometimes, it becomes necessary for you to complete additional paperwork and/or contact your employer or insurance company directly in order for your insurance claim to be processed and paid. If you do not take the required steps to have your claim processed or your insurance company has not processed and paid the claim within forty-five (45) days from the filing date, you, the patient, will be responsible for the entire balance of your treatment. There will be a $25.00 charge for each returned check and a $15.00 minimum charge for transfer of records from our office.

• Overdue Accounts

  • Any balance that remains on your account over 90 days will be sent to a collection agency and/or attorney for processing and will incur a 1.5% interest charge per month for each month the balance exists. Collection action may negatively impact your credit rating. You will be responsible for all fees associated with the recovery of overdue payments from a collection agency as follows:
    • Accounts under 1 (one) year old will incur an additional 33% of the balance due
    • Accounts between 1 (one) and 5 (five) years old will incur an additional 40% of the original balance due
    • Accounts over 5 (five) years old will incur an additional 50% of the original balance due.
    In the event that it becomes necessary for the doctor to employ legal counsel and/or initiate litigation to recover any sums as a result of services provided to the patient the doctor shall be entitled to recover an additional 33% of the original amount due (plus interest as stated above) plus court costs incurred in such action (a minimum of $175). The patient agrees that the venue for any litigation required to recover money for services rendered shall be in St. Louis County, Missouri.

• Dual Insurance

  • If you carry dual insurance coverage, the following may apply to you. Dual insurance benefit levels are determined solely at the discretion of the insurance companies. All out of pocket expenses are estimated on the front end and are calculated after the claim has been processed by your explanation of benefits paperwork. Our office does not set fees or benefits amounts. Our office reserves the right to demand payment in full at the beginning of treatment if either or both insurance companies have a track record of tardy payments. Regardless of your insurance coverage, the responsibility for treatment costs lie solely with you. If you no longer have dual insurance coverage, the responsibility to inform the remaining insurance company of this lies with you. You have 14 days from the date of your first treatment to inform the insurance company before the full amount becomes your responsibility. If your account comes due and is not paid in a timely manner, your account will either be turned over to a collection agency or to an attorney for collection.

• FSA/HSA or other Expense Accounts

  • Upon request, our office will provide you with an itemized statement of your dental treatment for FSA/HSA purposes. Your FSA/HSA may, at their sole discretion, freeze your account until they have completed a full accounting of your dental treatment. Our office does not and will not have any contact with your expense account administrator and has no control over what action they take on your account(s). Our office assumes no liability for adverse events pertaining to your FSA/HSA account(s). Any time spent by our office staff beyond providing you with an itemized statement will incur a minimum charge of $25 per occurrence.