Coquitlam dentist, Family dentist in Coquitlam, Vancouver, BC
Covid-19 Response
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic we have made numerous changes to help safeguard the health and safety of our patients and staff. We have implemented protocols and purchased disinfection equipment that are above and beyond the requirements mandated by the Provincial Health Office and the College of Dental Surgeons of BC.
Before your appointment:
Telephone/Email Screening: when booking your appointment, you will be asked some questions to assess your risk of COVID-19. If you or any family members have been ill or have symptoms of cough, sore throat, fever, sneezing, etc., or have recently returned from an international flight, we ask that you please wait at least 14 days before coming in for a dental appointment.
Come alone: whenever possible, please come to the office alone. Only guardians of minors and those with disability will be allowed to wait in the patient lounge during the appointment.
Wait at entrance: when you arrive for your appointment please wait at the entrance to be screened and disinfected.
When you arrive:
HOCl water disinfection: your clothes will first be disinfected with HOCl (hypochlorous acid) water using a fogger machine. HOCl is a very mild acid that is 200-300 times better than bleach at killing viruses and bacteria. It is 100% safe and naturally occurs in the human body. In fact, our own white blood cells uses HOCl to kill bacteria and viruses, and it will not damage clothing. For more information:
Masks: Every patient will receive a mask as soon as they enter the office. Please always wear this mask while in the clinic, except when getting treatment done.
Hand disinfection: please disinfect your hands with alcohol gel. Please refrain from using your cell phone after disinfecting your hands.
In-person screening: you will be asked to confirm that you or any family members have NOT been ill or have had symptoms of cough, sore throat, fever, sneezing, etc., and have NOT recently returned from an international flight in the last 14 days.
Temperature: every patient's temperature will be taken. Anyone with a temperature that is 37.6C or higher will be denied treatment and referred for COVID-19 testing.
Washroom: We will be disinfecting the washroom and wiping down toilet seats, faucets, door handles, etc. after each use so feel free to use the washroom.
During your appointment:
Hydrogen Peroxide Rinse: before beginning the dental treatment, you will rinse with a hydrogen peroxide mouth wash for 30 seconds. Hydrogen peroxide has been shown to be effective in reducing the viral load in the mouth.
Rubber dams: whenever possible, rubber dams will be used during the dental treatment. This will reduce the risk of contaminated aerosols to pretty much zero.
Air purifiers: we have equipped every room with medical-grade air purifiers designed to remove aerosols as it is generated. These air purifiers have 4 levels of filtration and are equipped with Super HEPA filters that can remove 99.99% of airborne particles >0.1 microns in size (COVID-19 virus is 0.12 microns) and contains a UVC light to kill viruses and bacteria.
After your appointment
Insurance: Starting June 1st, 2020, we will suspend taking payments from insurance companies to free up time for our receptionists to implement these protocols. Please see below for further details
Payment: credit card/debit payments are encouraged. We want to minimize cash transactions as much as possible.
Other things we are doing
All staff members are temperature screened at the beginning of their shift
Countertops, door handles, touchable surfaces, etc. are wiped with disinfectants several times every hour
In addition to our usual room disinfection protocol, after every patient each room is further disinfected with HOCl fogging
Our team will be wearing enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE). This will include N95 masks, face shields, head covers, and medical gowns
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT INSURANCES
Starting June 1st, 2020, we plan to suspend taking insurance payments on our patient’s behalf (except for patients on ministry coverage). The reason we are making this change is to help free up more time for our receptionists as they will be taking on more tasks to help keep our clinic safe for our patients amidst the COVID-19 crisis. Receiving insurance payments is quite a time-consuming administrative process, taking up 20-25% of their time each day. Most of the new protocols being implemented will be delegated to our receptionists. With your help, by having the insurance pay our patients instead, it will greatly simplify payment transactions and free up valuable time so they can concentrate on patient screening, management, and clinic disinfection, thereby ensuring the environment is safe for everyone. We understand this may cause some inconveniences but with direct deposit, most insurances will pay their members within 24-48 hrs after the appointment.
What does this mean for our patients?
We will still process and submit the claim to your insurance for you (so there is nothing you need to do)
But the insurance company will now reimburse you instead of reimbursing us
Therefore, the cost of the treatments completed will need to be paid in full at the time of service
If you have direct deposit set up, many insurance companies will deposit the payment into your bank account within 24-48 hours after the appointment, otherwise, it might take 1-2 weeks for a cheque to arrive in the mail.
Setting up direct deposit is quite simple through your insurance's online website but if you need help, we will be happy to help you
We want to emphasize that your coverage stays the same so you will not be paying anymore than you normally would
We will be available to help you troubleshoot insurance claims if there are any issues
We encourage everyone to give this new system a try as it will really help us a lot but we do understand for some of our patients this may create some financial hardship so if this is the case please let us know.
What has not changed?
We will continue to follow the provincial fee schedule as we always have
We will continue to predetermine insurance estimates for major dental treatments
We will continue to accept ministry payments if you are on disability or social assistance so there is no change if this applies to you.
We do apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, but we hope you can understand why this change is happening. We would be happy to address any questions or concerns, so please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
