New Covid Protocols

To Our Valued Patients,

We hope this letter finds you and your families in good health. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our “normal” habits and routines. For our office, this began on Monday, June 1, 2020. While many things have changed, our commitment to your oral health and safety has not. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice. Our office follows infection control recommendations made by the American Dental Association (ADA), the US Center for Disease Control (CDC), and Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA). We remain current with new rulings and guidance as they are issued. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our protocols have changed to adhere to new recommendations. You may see these mandated changes when it is time for your next appointment.

Due to new protocols, you will also notice a fee of $17.00 added to each appointment which allows us to provide the added safety measures for all patients – this fee may not be covered by insurance, in which case, it will be an out of pocket expense. So far, United Concordia and Cigna are the only insurance companies paying a portion of this fee; all other insurance will not cover any of the fee leaving it a patient expense.

Prior to your appointment, we ask that you follow the below instructions to complete a few forms needed in our office; doing this in advance allows for a quicker check in process and ensures our ability to see you. Failure to fill out these forms can result in a rescheduled appointment:

  • Please visit our website, cassaradental.com, and click on the “Patient Information” tab. From there, click on “New Patient Forms.” This will direct you to fill in your name and the date of your visit which can be found at the beginning of this email.
  • On the following page, you will find a hyperlink to the New Patient Forms. We kindly ask that you take the time to thoroughly fill out our forms.
  • If you have filled out our online forms, please fill out the following two forms: the COVID Consent Form, and the Pre-Appointment Pre-Screening Form.
  • If you have not filled out any online forms for our office, please fill out the following four forms in their entirety: the New Patient Registration Form, the COVID Consent Form, the Pre-Appointment Pre-Screening Form, and the Medical History Form. For the Pre-Screening Form, please feel free to mark any staff member as your contact.
  • Should you encounter any issues with the forms, please give our office a call at (650) 969-2866 and a member of our team will be able to assist you.

Please take the time to research your insurance plan and coverage. We conduct our own research, but it is helpful for you to speak directly with your insurance provider to be fully aware of your benefits. Insurance is a contract between the patient and the insurance provider, therefore, the insurance company does not always provide complete benefits to our office when we act as a third party on your behalf.

Should you need to reschedule your appointment, we kindly ask for a minimum of 2 business days to make any changes to your patient reservation so we can fully utilize our time to benefit our patients. Failure to do so will result in a $75.00 cancellation or missed appointment fee. Please call us directly at (650) 969-2866 if you have any concerns regarding your appointment. We look forward to seeing you at your next visit!

With our new COVID-19 protocols in place, we require patients to arrive at least 10-15 minutes prior to their scheduled appointment time in order to be pre-screened and ready for their appointment. If you arrive on time (at 9:00am for a 9:00am appointment) or late, we reserve the right to turn you away from the appointment with a cancellation fee as this does not provide us enough time to pre-screen you, see you thoroughly for your appointment, and clean the room prior to the next patient.
Upon your arrival, we ask that you respond to your same day reminder text to let us know you are here, or call our office at (650) 969-2866
We will be checking patients in at our back door marked “PRIVATE” which is located in the middle of our building — behind the parking space marked “Reserved”
All patients will have their temperature taken at time of arrival
We may ask you to wait in your car prior to your appointment
All patients must wear a face mask or covering to enter the building (only to be removed for your appointment when asked by a doctor, hygienist, or assistant)
We ask you to bring your own face covering/mask as our supplies are limited; however, if you are in need we can provide one to you
After check-in, we will have you wash your hands or provide you with hand sanitizer for use prior to your appointment
We will have a pre-rinse available rather than offering tooth brushes prior to your appointment
Air purifiers have been installed in our HVAC system throughout the office
The waiting area no longer has magazines or books which are impossible to disinfect
Appointments will be managed to allow for social distancing – this means we will be offering fewer scheduling options
In an effort to reduce the number of people in the office, we ask that you come to your appointment alone
Caregivers and parents of younger children may be asked to wait in their vehicles and will be notified when the patient is ready for pick up. Please let us know in advance if you need an exception to this rule.
Patients who are interested in expediting check-out can call in advance to put a Credit Card on File or email us to get a Credit Card Authorization Form sent for you to bring to your next visit
We will use the credit card to charge your co-pay for the appointment if you have one – we will notify you of the amount upon your exit
You will still have the option to pay with cash, check, or credit card at time of service

On June 1, 2020, we resumed our normal office hours:
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday = 8:00am to 5:00pm
Wednesday = 10:00am to 7:00pm
To make an appointment, please call our office at (650) 969-2866; if we are busy helping other patients, leave a message so we can return your call as soon as possible. For all other questions, we ask that you email us at info@cassaradental.com. We value your trust and loyalty and look forward to welcoming you back.