PPE costs for dental practices are a big expense 



In the new age of the Coronavirus pandemic, dental offices, like many other businesses, must take all the necessary precautions to help prevent the spread of the virus. Some of those precautions include wearing personal protective equipment when dealing with patients in the office.
In order to recoup a portion of the out-of-pocket costs for the PPE, dental practices have been forced to raise their surcharge fees.
Dr. Eugene Porcelli, executive director of the Nassau County Dental Society, said that he needed to increase his surcharge fee for patients as a way of dealing with the skyrocketing cost of the equipment.
“The price is high for the PPE because of the shortage of supplies here on Long Island,” said Dr. Porcelli, who has a dental practice in Garden City. “Obviously I didn’t want to raise the fees, but I needed to be transparent with my patients and let them know the reason for the increased surcharge.”
He estimated that each patient that he sees costs the office anywhere from $40-$60 for the necessary protective equipment.
“Before COVID, the regular surgical masks were fine to wear but now dentists and dental assistants must do what they can to protect the health of the patients.”
The personal protective equipment that dentists must now wear when dealing with patients include N95 respirators, face shields, goggles, disposable gowns, and coverings on their hands and feet.
His office also invested in a specialized air purifier so the virus is not able to recirculate in the air.
“All of these things are recommendations by the CDC and the State Department of Health and aren’t a mandatory requirement,” said Dr. Porcelli. “My feeling is it is better to be safe than sorry because our number one priority is our staff and patients health.”
His office has instituted a surcharge fee of $20 for non-emergency visits  for each patient.
 Dr. Porcelli said that the majority of his insurance providers are contributing anywhere from $7 to $12 to cover the cost of the equipment.
“I really don’t see this surcharge still in effect six months from now. I believe that once the supply catches up with the demand, I think the prices of the PPE will come down.”

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