Since most young children don't really need much in the way of treatment, charging for children can be a difficult topic for some practices. Some people may struggle with how to set charges at the proper level. The best way to handle children in the practice if you are keeping a portion of an NHS contract rather than returning the entire thing is to make sure they are all treated under the remaining NHS contract.
There are several ways to charge for children, though, if your practice decides to go completely private.
An age-banded charging system is the most typical approach. The cost in this situation would change based on the child's age. Practices typically select age ranges of 0 to 5 years, 6 to 12 years, and 13 to 18 years.
Infants and babies (0 to 5 years old) would typically arrive at the office at the same time as their parents and only needed a quick examination of the mouth. Due to this, the majority of offices typically don't charge for children of this age.
Most practices will typically charge a small fee for the plan for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Again, there is frequently less strain on the practice's resources because, like with the younger age group, these kids will typically come for an appointment at the same time as the parent.
Setting plan fees for the teenage group makes things a little more challenging. This is due to the fact that they actually require as much chair time as adult patients do, so that must be taken into account.
You could always choose to charge based on clinical need rather than base your plan fee on the child's age. With this approach, you can specify precisely which procedures and tests you want to include in the plan.
The practices' choice of what to include in their plan will determine how much they charge. One option is to charge a fee for any treatments and base the cost on examinations. Another option is to pair some hygiene education with the exams. Your regional support manager can assist with this as these decisions will affect the plan's cost.
If costs must be kept to a minimum, it is possible to base the price of your plan on the UDA value you would have historically received for children plus the admin fee. In conclusion, there are various methods for assessing fees for children's plans. It just comes down to picking the best approach for your practice.
It's important to note that children on membership plans with Practice Plan will have access to our Worldwide Dental Emergency Assistance Scheme in addition to their treatment. As a result, any children covered by a plan may be eligible to request assistance to help towards the cost of that treatment should they get into an accident or suffer a dental trauma and need it.
Please get in touch with your regional support manager if you want to learn more about your choices for children's plans.