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The Dental Economics annual fee survey

April 1, 2018
Dentists need to make sure their fees are up-to-date with the current fees in their area. The results from the 2017 fee analysis survey will guide them in the right direction.
Produced in partnership with the Academy of Dental CPAs

Allen M. Schiff, CPA, CFE

Jeremy Goodwin

Welcome to the Dental Economics 2017 fee analysis survey.Dental Economics and the Academy of Dental CPAs (ADCPA, adcpa.org) have partnered to provide dental practice information from across the United States regarding the regional differences in dental fees.

The 2017 fee analysis is designed to provide practitioners with an in-depth look at dental code fees by procedure, and how frequently practices update their current fee schedules. Establishing the correct fees and developing consistency between coding and the procedures in your office is an important aspect for the profitability and overall production of your practice.

Regional fees

The survey responses have been arranged into six regions across the United States. The states are subdivided into six segments based on regional characteristics and market similarities. The results of the survey have been presented for the 50th, 70th, and 90th percentiles. For example, the fee amount representing the 50th percentile means that 50% of the practitioners who participated in the survey charged that fee or less, and 50% charged a higher amount.

Using percentile ranges to present the data in subsets accounts for any possible outliers in the data set. Representing the data set in three percentile ranges provides a more meaningful range of data than the average fee for the user due to locale, market differentiation, and sample-size limitations. The sample size of data used in this study falls within a 95% confidence interval.

Region 1 - Northeast

ME, VT, NH, MA, CT, RI

Fee Code

50th

70th

90th

D0150 - Comprehensive exam

$107

$114

$137

D0210 - Complete series

165

166

184

D1110 - Prophy - adult

113

121

135

D2392 - Composte resin - two surfaces, posterior

273

281

383

D2740 - Crown - porcelain/ceramic

1,405

1,520

1,666

D2954 - Prefabricated post/core

400

446

474

D3330 - Root canal treatment - molar

1,283

1,341

1,489

D4341 - Scaling and root planing

295

300

354

D5110 - Complete denture - max

2,012

2,207

2,490

D6057 - Custom abutment

1,020

1,145

1,246

Regional participants in the top 10% have updated their fee schedule in the past 162 days.

50% of regional participants have updated their fee schedule in the past year.

The data is constructed to give users a baseline to see where their respective fees fall in line within their regions. The data collected from the survey contains submissions from large cities, metropolitan areas, rural areas, and all locales in between. Therefore, users may need to tailor any fees to their individual markets using practice locations and local market differentiations as a consideration for a fee adjustment. The regionalized fees provide a great depiction of the significant market variations and changes within the dental industry based on locale.

Determine fees

Dental CPAs or dental practice management consultants are great resources to assist you in updating your fee schedule and ensuring that your fees remain competitive within your market. Using a dental professional such as this can help facilitate proper decision-making with regard to patient perception and the insurance implications of increasing fees. Dental CPAs or practice management consultants can be the biggest advocates in this area by capitalizing on the opportunities within a dental practice. This process provides an additional level of analysis that considers different market pressures and stimuli when making key practice decisions that have present and future implications for a dental practice.

Region 2 - Mid-Atlantic

NY, NJ, PA, DE, MD, VA, WV

Fee Code

50th

70th

90th

D0150 - Comprehensive exam

$95

$95

$110

D0210 - Complete series

145

145

169

D1110 - Prophy - adult

88

102

119

D2392 - Composte resin - two surfaces, posterior

230

250

290

D2740 - Crown - porcelain/ceramic

1,250

1,280

1,546

D2954 - Prefabricatin post/core

395

395

436

D3330 - Root canal treatment - molar

1,052

1,134

1,328

D4341 - Scaling and root planing

242

272

311

D5110 - Complete denture - max

1,920

1,920

2,292

D6057 - Custom abutment

975

975

1,075

Regional participants in the top 10% have updated their fee schedule in the past 188 days.

50% of regional participants have updated their fee schedule in the past 2 years.

Region 3 - South

KY, TN, NC, SC, GA, MS, AL, FL, AR, LA, OK, TX

Fee Code

50th

70th

90th

D0150 - Comprehensive exam

$90

$106

$121

D0210 - Complete series

145

159

173

D1110 - Prophy - adult

101

107

117

D2392 - Composte resin - two surfaces, posterior

260

286

313

D2740 - Crown - porcelain/ceramic

1,362

1,444

1,611

D2954 - Prefabricated post/core

396

437

485

D3330 - Root canal treatment - Molar

1,195

1,277

1,547

D4341 - Scaling and root planing

294

302

334

D5110 - Complete denture - max

2,009

2,536

3,056

D6057 - Custom abutment

950

1,121

1,416

Regional participants in the top 10% have updated their fee schedule in the past 235 days.

50% of regional participants have updated their fee schedule in the past year.

Looking to the future

Dental practitioners are more than aware that the market is undergoing a shift from what was once called the cottage industry of dentistry to the growth of corporate dentistry and multilocation single-owner practices. As this shift continues, it is imperative for dentists to remain competitive with a current fee schedule for their region, paired with implementing excellent marketing strategies.

Be cautious with loss leader offers such as “$49 exam for new patients.” Specials such as these often continue to affect overhead costs while having the risk of new patients taking advantage of these one-time deals, never to return to the office for future services.

Fee procedure reminders

For dental practices participating with various dental insurance plans in their respective markets, it’s important to remember to always submit gross fees (usual, customary, and reasonable fees [UCR]) and not net fees after anticipating insurance plan write-offs. By doing so, the insurance company will remain current with fees by region.

Practices that offer fee courtesies to patients, such as senior citizen discounts, need to be sure to submit net fees to the insurance company as opposed to the gross fee. If the practice submits the gross fee, there should be a note on the insurance claim disclosing that a courtesy was passed on to the patient.

In conclusion, please meet with your dental CPA or practice management consultant at least annually to review and update your practice’s fees to make sure they’re competitive in your marketplace.

Region 4 - Midwest

MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, IA, MO, ND, SD, NE, KS

Fee Code

50th

70th

90th

D0150 - Comp Exam

$90

$97

$105

D0210 - Complete Series

147

155

169

D1110 - Prophy - Adult

97

100

115

D2392 - Composte resin - two surfaces, posterior

245

257

271

D2740 - Crown - porc/ceramic

1,204

1,292

1,385

D2954 - Prefab post/core

359

387

424

D3330 - RCT - Molar

1,098

1,183

1,267

D4341 - SRP

271

289

315

D5110 - Complete Denture - Max

1,795

1,896

2,200

D6057 - Custom Abutment

895

979

1,155

Regional participants in the top 10% have updated their fee schedule in the past 156 days.

50% of regional participants have updated their fee schedule in the past year.

Region 5 - Mountain

MT, ID, WY, UT, NV, CO, AZ, NM

Fee Code

50th

70th

90th

D0150 - Comprehsnvie exam

$95

$100

$105

D0210 - Complete series

148

152

159

D1110 - Prophy - adult

101

105

113

D2392 - Composte resin - two surfaces, posterior

255

265

287

D2740 - Crown - porcelain/ceramic

1,261

1,305

1,381

D2954 - Prefabricated post/core

370

385

413

D3330 - Root canal treatment - molar

1,139

1,183

1,276

D4341 - Scaling and root planing

275

294

324

D5110 - Complete denture - max

1,852

2,023

2,365

D6057 - Custom abutment

970

1,011

1,121

Regional participants in the top 10% have updated their fee schedule in the past 126 days.

50% of regional participants have updated their fee schedule in the past year.

Region 6 - Pacific

CA, OR, WA, AK, HI

Fee Code

50th

70th

90th

D0150 - Comprehensive exam

$100

$100

$100

D0210 - Complete series

149

149

149

D1110 - Prophy - adult

111

111

111

D2392 - Composte resin - two surfaces, posterior

267

267

267

D2740 - Crown - porcelain/ceramic

1,276

1,276

1,276

D2954 - Prefabricated post/core

358

358

358

D3330 - Root canal treatment - molar

1,148

1,148

1,148

D4341 - Scaling and root planing

310

310

310

D5110 - Complete denture - max

1,908

1,908

1,908

D6057 - Custom abutment

839

839

839

Regional participants in the top 10% have updated their fee schedule in the past 190 days.

50% of regional participants have updated their fee schedule in the past year.

Disclosure: These are self-reported fees, and sample sizes may affect regional accuracy and locale determination of fees. Fees included in the study are within a 95% confidence interval.

Allen M. Schiff, CPA, CFE, is the managing partner of Schiff Dental CPAs and the president of the Academy of Dental CPAs (adcpa.org). A dental CPA can minimize your tax liability, assist you in the accumulation of your wealth, and help you implement the internal accounting controls mentioned in this article. To locate a member of the Academy of Dental CPAs near you, visit adcpa.org or contact Mr. Schiff at [email protected] or (410) 321-7707.

Jeremy Goodwin is a staff accountant at Schiff & Associates LLC. Jeremy is a graduate of Towson University and a CPA candidate. He spent the first three years of his professional career specializing in accounting for the dental industry.

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