9 Jul
New low for dentistry – auctioning off services
A new website allows patients to bid what they want to pay for dental services and pick the best offer from competing dental practices. The idea of PriceDoc.com is to help people without insurance get dental and medical care at a reduced price. Through the service dentists pay $37.95 to $59.95 a month (depending on length of commitment) to have their office listed on the website. To have a higher profile on the website dentist will be charged extra. Next dentist choose which procedures they want to offer through the website (Invisalign, crowns, whitening, etc.) and can list their price. Patients also have the option of naming their own price and see if the dentist accepts their offer.
A search for “Adult Teeth Cleaning” brought up several dental offices offering $39 cleanings in the 92130 area code. Offering cheap cleanings may get patients in the door, but I’m willing to bet that those dentists are going to try to get every extra penny out of those patients and the patient is going to get a really quick cleaning!
San Diego is already a very competitive dental environment. Auctioning off dental services is sending dentistry in the wrong direction. Patients expect and deserve high quality services from medical professionals. Patient’s low balling dentist and dentist’s giving striped down services are only going to demine the profession. Dentistry is heading in the direction of used car sells man! What do you think?
Posted by dentist in orange on 09.07.10 at 1:05 pm
I think a professional dentist should also give a professional care. The medical practitioners shouldn’t take advantage the situation, though this seems a program or brigade, dentists should exert effort, give the best on what they do, and quality time and work. It is not like having a sales talk, especially when you are in the medical field, you are expected to be morally upright.