19.01.15
Dentists need to be clearer about costs, says consumer watchdog
Many patients could be paying too much for their dental treatment because dentists are breaching rules on offering clear pricing information.
Existing rules state that dentists must have a price list prominently on display in their surgery and set out treatment costs upfront. However, a survey from consumer watchdog Which? has found that 51% of people who visited a dentist in the last six months didn’t see a price list and one in five (22%) weren’t clear about costs ahead of their treatment.
In a separate investigation, only half of undercover researchers sent into dental practices offering both NHS and private treatment saw a price list displayed, with most practices not showing any private prices. According to Which? this makes it difficult for people to compare costs between practices, as well as between NHS and private treatments.
Barry Cockcroft, the NHS’s chief dental officer, said: “Dentists have a duty to be open and honest about payment and treatment options, always considering the best interests of their patients.”
But Which? still found problems with communication of prices and treatment options. Half of the undercover visits found practices were poor at explaining the difference between NHS and private options, and a third were poor at explaining prices and treatment options.
The survey also found evidence that some people could be being overcharged. One in five (19%) NHS patients who pay said they paid more than one charge for one course of NHS treatment over the last two years when they shouldn’t have.
Which? executive director, Richard Lloyd, said: “A visit to the dentist is an essential health check for millions of people across the country. Most of us will need dental treatment throughout our lives and it’s important that when that happens people feel clear about the nature of the treatment and what it will cost upfront. We are calling on the NHS and the regulators to clean up dental costs and make sure the existing rules are put into practice consistently.”
Mick Armstrong, the chairman of the British Dental Association, said that it’s essential that patients have a clear understanding about treatment options and costs when they visit their dentist.
"Unfortunately the rules determined by government have proved a recipe for confusion. Neither the NHS contract nor what the NHS will pay for is clear enough. It's a system that is failing patients and practitioners alike,” he added.
"In the narrow window available in a time-pressed NHS, a dentist must explain not just the technical details of clinical treatment options, but also the workings of the payment system and where the NHS and private treatment cross-over.
"With such a muddled set of arrangements, the system almost sets up the dentists working in it to fail."
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