At least for dentistry that is changing: I had a filling recently, due to a cavity identified at a prior checkup. At the end of the checkup, a front-office sta

At least for dentistry that is changing: I had a filling recently, due to a cavity identified at a prior checkup. At the end of the checkup, a front-office staffer went on to Delta Dental’s web site, pulled up my record, and requested a treatment estimate. The answer was returned within a minute. A few days later, I got a copy of the estimate in the mail for my records. I didn’t have any other dental events (which might’ve affected the estimate), so on the day of the filling, I paid the amount as part of the office visit. A few days later, I got the Explanation of Benefits for the procedure, confirming the amount paid was correct. If I had chosen to, then I would’ve gotten all that over the web instead of on paper. As far as I’m concerned, the dentist’s office is where I want them to be, in terms of billing processes. My eye doctor is able to do something similar, looking up lens & frame benefits etc. on computer, no I don’t have to be billed after the fact.