Printable Registration Forms
What To Do Before Your First Visit
Making sound decisions about your oral health is easy with the right preparation:
- Make a list of questions to ask our office, so you don’t forget anything on the day of your appointment. This includes any concerns you have or oral problems you’ve been experiencing.
- If you have dental insurance, remember to bring your insurance card
Easy Record Transfer from Another Dental Office
We will advise you on transferring your dental records and will schedule your first appointment to tour our office, meet our friendly team and receive a thorough dental consultation. If you cannot remember the last time you saw a dentist — don’t worry! We are skilled at treating patients from all dental backgrounds and make every effort to ensure your appointment is as comfortable as possible. We are here to assess your needs and provide superior care to get you onto the path of improved dental health. Don’t wait another day for the smile you’ve always wanted.
Your Rights as a Patient
- To see the dentist every time you receive dental treatment
- To ask about treatment alternatives and understand the advantages and disadvantages of each
- To know the education and training of your dentist and the dental team
- To know in advance the type and estimated cost of treatment
- To expect dental team members to use appropriate infection and sterilization controls
- To ask your dentist to explain all the treatment options regardless of coverage or cost
- To be treated in a professional and ethical manner by your dentist and dental team
- You should have a right to schedule an appointment with the dentist of your choice
American Dental Association Leads Fight for Patient Rights
The American Dental Association has supported legislation that will set a few basic rules to promote high-quality care and protect patients in an increasingly bottom line-driven health care system.
ADA member dentists have been instrumental in moving the patients’ rights issue into the national spotlight. The nation appears closer than ever to finally seeing a comprehensive patients’ bill of rights passed into law.
While Congress debates various versions of patient rights legislation, the insurance and managed care industries have long supported legislation that would fail to protect all privately insured Americans against unfair delays and denials of coverage by their health plans, according to the ADA. Some ill-fated bills left out critical protections, such as guaranteeing people the option of choosing their own doctors or creating mechanisms to address patients’ grievances against health plans. One proposal even omitted freestanding dental plans, which could have left more than 120 million dental patients without these vital protections.
The American Dental Association continues to lobby for the enactment of bipartisan legislation to help ensure that health plans treat patients fairly and do not discriminate against dentists.
Here are some of the key issues identified by the ADA:
- Coverage for freestanding dental plans, which account for the vast majority of Americans who have dental coverage.
- Patient choice, by guaranteeing access to at least one plan with a point-of-service option that allows patients the opportunity to choose their own doctors.
- Health plan accountability, through the availability of impartial, external review and by holding plans accountable when decisions to delay or deny care harm patients.
Missed Appointment Policy
Our goal is to provide quality individualized dental care in a timely manner. No-shows, late shows and cancellations inconvenience those individuals who need access to dental care. We would like to inform you of our policy regarding missed appointments.
Cancellation of an Appointment
In order to be respectful of the dental needs of other patients, please be courteous and call Great Lakes Dental Care promptly if you are unable to show up for an appointment. This time will be reallocated to someone who is in need of treatment. If it is necessary to cancel your scheduled appointment, we require that you call at least 24 hours in advance. Appointments are in high demand, and your early cancellation will allow another patient access to timely care.
How to Cancel Your Appointment
To cancel your appointment, please call or text (616) 784-6300. If you do not reach the receptionist, you may leave a detailed message on our voice mail. If you would like to reschedule your appointment, please leave your name and phone number. We will return your call promptly.
Late Cancellations: A cancellation is considered to be late when the appointment is cancelled without a 24-hour advance notice.
No Show Policy: A “no-show”, is a patient who misses an appointment without cancelling it. A failure to be present at the time of a scheduled appointment will be recorded in the patient’s chart as a “no-show”. This includes arriving 15 minutes after your scheduled appointment.
The first time there is a “no-show” or late cancellation, there will be no charge to the patient. A 2nd occurrence will result in a fee of $100, which our doctors will generously match and donate to Helen Devos Children’s Hospital in your honor. This fee must be paid before the appointment will be rescheduled. It there is a 3rd occurrence, the patient may be discharged from the practice.
