Dental Chain Pledges Transparency Following OFT Investigation
One of Britain’s leading dental chains has pledged to make the pricing system clearer in light of an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading.
Integrated Dental Holdings, one of the UK’s largest chains, will take steps to make charges and fees clearer for patients after an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading revealed that patients are not being provided with enough information about the prices they should be paying for treatment.
The investigation revealed that some dentists were deliberately misleading patients, encouraging them to pay private fees for treatments that are available for a much lower cost on the NHS. The OFT study confirmed that patients were not being given enough information to enable them to make well-informed decisions.
In light of the investigation, IDH has promised to provide patients with more information about fees by introducing a transparent pricing system.
Matt Jackson, head of marketing and central services at IDH, said that it was important for the dental industry to take notice of the findings of the OFT study and try to overcome the negative publicity by introducing clear and honest pricing systems.
IDH will now be bringing in new fee systems in over 500 practices in the UK; standard rates will be available for patients to see for a range of treatments, including crowns, examinations, fillings and dental X-rays.
IDH has also confirmed that additional changes will be made to the running of the practices in line with recommendations listed in the Office of fair Trading investigation.
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