What is "The Delta Dental Difference^®?"

As a broker, you may hear the term "The Delta Dental Difference" from time to time. The Delta Dental Difference is a trademarked set of advantages of our dental plans that differentiate us from our competitors. The Delta Dental Difference means that groups realize true cost savings — not simply cost shifting to patients — through a level of cost management and quality of care that can’t be found anywhere else. These advantages also can serve as critical sales tools for brokers.

Dentist agreements
With nearly three-quarters of dentist locations nationwide, Delta Dental offers the industry's largest fee-for-service dental network. Our contracts with dentists allow us to keep tight control over treatment costs and quality of care provided to enrollees, making our prepaid, PPO and managed fee-for-service programs among the best values on the market.

Here are some advantages of The Delta Dental Difference found in our dentist agreements:

• Guaranteed copayments. Delta dentists agree to charge only what we determine is the patient's share of the cost. If the patient's share is 20 percent, he or she pays 20 percent of the fee determined by us — and is not balance-billed for the difference.
  
• Fee agreements. Our Delta Dental Premier, Delta Dental PPO (and DPO in Texas) enrollees can typically maximize their coverage when they visit a Delta Dental dentist because our dentists have agreed to fees determined by Delta Dental. When a dentist offers a special discount, we require that his or her Delta Dental patients receive the same discount.
  
• Professional treatment standards. Our quality assessment procedures monitor the treatment provided by dentists in our networks. Delta Dental dentists verify that their offices meet professional standards for hygiene, radiation safety and other areas related to quality care. Delta Dental selects a sample of offices each year for on-site quality reviews.
  
• Fee verification. Delta Dental rigorously verifies fees to determine if charges submitted to us by participating dentists are their true, "usual" fees as defined in the participation agreement. Our compliance analysts also seek to verify that all other rules of participation are being observed. Using our centralized data warehouse, we can flag unusual dentist practice patterns that require further investigation. Curtailing fraud is another way that we help to keep dental benefits affordable.