FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

 

In a nutshell, what is Fair Market Health?

For dentists, Fair Market Health (FMH) is a more transparent, fair, and unobstructed way to utilize dental benefits to bring patients into your practice.  As our company’s name implies, we are creating a marketplace in which dentists can participate to get connected with patients whose employers provide dental benefits through FMH.  Our model eliminates the complexity and confusion that some insurance companies use to take advantage of patients and dentists.  We do not require write-offs, and your claims will never be subjected to adjudication like many insurance companies do to find ways to withhold your patients’ benefits.  In fact, there are no claims to submit at all!  If your patient wants you to provide a service, they can utilize their benefits however they’d like.  No restrictions, downgrades, down coding, bundling, or “content of service” nonsense!  We believe that dental benefits belong to the patient, and with the help of their dentist, the patient can choose to utilize their benefits however they’d like.

 

FMH is in the process of building its network of dentists in order to bring this new concept to employers.

 

What is the process for FMH dental patients?

1. The patient navigates to www.fairmarkethealth.com to find a needed service and select an available dentist to perform the service. (For their first visit, this service will always be an Exam.)  They add a service with a specific provider to their cart and submit payment upfront. Once the patient selects a service, they will select the dentist and purchase. To reiterate, for patients seeking a new dentist, an examination is always required before other services can be rendered.

 

2. Within 3 business days, the patient receives a call from the dentist’s office so they can be scheduled.

 

3. The patient goes to their scheduled appointment and receives the service or exam they requested (upon approval of the dentist). 

 

What is the process from the dentist’s perspective?

1. The dentist’s office (administrator or scheduling team) receives an email notification that a new patient request has been placed through the website.

 

2. Within 3 business days, the dentist’s office calls the patient to review expectations, schedule them the appointment, and marks the order appointment as “scheduled” in FMH’s Provider Portal.

 

3. On the day of the appointment, the patient receives their service and the dentist’s office marks the order appointment as “complete” in FMH’s Provider Portal. Payment to the dentist is submitted by FMH within 24 - 72 hours.

 

When and how is payment collected and distributed?

Payment for FMH orders will always be collected when the request is submitted by the patient. Patients can pay with funds from their employer, a credit or debit card (VISA, Discover, MasterCard, American Express), or a HSA account. The funds are held in escrow until the service is rendered and the service is marked “complete” by the dentist’s office in FMH’s Provider Portal. At that point, payout is automatically transferred by FMH electronically, and should appear in the dentist’s bank account within 24 - 72 hours.

 

How do we reconcile FMH EFT payments?

Users from your team with access to financial information will be able to view and download a Payout Report through the FMH Provider Portal. The report catalogs each transfer and date next to the patient’s name and an order number.

 

How is FMH compensated?

For services purchased through FMH, a percentage-based fee is added to each service in addition to the dentist’s fee. Part of this fee goes to FMH, and part goes to Stripe, FMH’s payment processing service. These fees are included upfront in the total price that patients see when browsing the site.

 

What makes FMH attractive to patients/employers?

The FMH dental marketplace offers an organized platform where patients can find and compare services from dozens of dental offices. Patients and employers know exactly what they’re paying upfront and avoid expensive dental premiums.

 

How does FMH improve our experience as a dentist compared to working with dental insurance?

FMH will always pay you the price you set for your service. Say goodbye to denied claims – in fact, say goodbye to claims, period, with your FMH patients. We let dentists and patients decide together what care is needed, as it should be. Dentists are paid in full in a timely manner, while also maintaining the highest standard of care without worrying about what insurance will cover.

 

How does the patient experience differ for self-pay vs. employer plan members on FMH?

The majority of patients using FMH receive dental services as an employee benefit. For these patients, their self-insured employers have agreed to pay all or part of the cost of certain services when ordered through the FMH platform. Services are paid for upfront as they are requested. FMH does not charge premiums or any other recurring fees just for participating in FMH.

 

How will patients know what services to order?

We trust our dentists and their patients to work together to make the best decisions for their health. FMH patients are required to order an initial exam through FMH during which the dentist can establish a treatment plan for the patient’s care. This treatment plan should inform the patient on what purchase(s) they will need to make through FMH for their next visit.  Your dental team can help ensure that the information is entered correctly.

 

What happens if a FMH patient is at an appointment and needs a service they haven’t ordered?

We understand that not every dental need can be predicted. This is not a problem. If a patient is at an appointment and needs to change or add to their order services for that visit, they have a couple options:

 

  1. They can log into their FMH account from a mobile device and order additional services.

  2. They can call FMH’s support team who can make changes to existing orders or submit new orders on a patient’s behalf. Here’s how you can reach FMH Support:

 

(316) 202-8558 or via live chat at www.fairmarkethealth.com

Monday - Friday 8 AM - 4 PM Central Time

 

The patient can also choose to delay the new service until they have a chance to place a new order on FMH or they can proceed with having the new service completed during the current visit and pay FMH retroactively.

 

What happens if a FMH patient needs a service not available on your website?

If you are aware that a FMH patient will be needing a service not currently listed on FMH, please contact FMH’s dental onboarding team at 316-202-8558 to look into adding the service.

 

Can dentists list new services like dental implants?

Yes! However, FMH prefers that dentists focus on establishing the groundwork for basic dental procedures before adding more complex services. We know that more complex services can include a lot of variation and don’t want the onboarding process to be delayed due to the complexity of pricing and bundling these procedures. Once dentists are live on the FMH site, we encourage you to reach out with any additional services you’d like to add.

 

How do dentists set pricing for services on FMH?

FMH recommends setting the same fees for FMH patients as you do for your self-pay patients. Also, the Dental Fee Schedule Template includes suggested price ranges for your reference. If you have any questions about pricing for specific service listings on FMH, please contact FMH’s dental onboarding team at 316-202-8558 for assistance.

 

What if I want to discontinue my participation with FMH?

There are no contracts that lock you in to participating with FMH, and you can discontinue at any time.

 

What are our next steps before we can be live?

1. Set-up your dentist profile(s) here.

2. Update your pricing as needed.

3. Connect your bank account.

4. Add user permissions/train front office staff.