Ever hear of a $75 fee to transfer Dental Records? - Great Smiles
For reasons that I won't go into, my family is changing dentists. We were at Great Smiles (Zuckerman) on 517, and they are telling us that it will cost $75 per person to have our dental records transferred to another dentist. I have never, ever had a medical professional charge me to transfer records. Is this common?
RCI've never heard of a fee - the records should belong to you as any medical things belong to you - I've had records of several doctors, tests, etc either made available for me to pick up or transferred directly.
4catmom In my experience, a doctor to doctor ( in this case dentist to dentist) transfer is typically free. Sometimes there is a fee if they need to print out records for your personal use.
Jules I would suggest you ask you insurance company .
My take, you own those records, you pid for the x-rays and all the work that was done.
I would offer to provide them notarized copies @ at cost of $ 35.00 each !
steven 
Strangerdanger Records are the property of the doctor, not the patient. However there are laws to make sure the patient cannot be denied access to the records. There are also specific regulations about what can be charged. It's generally $10 to search for the records, and $1 per page. That's whether they are paper or electronic. There's a max of $100 and some other exceptions and exclusions:
http://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2012/Bills/S3000/2820_I1.HTM
GC No . In fact any dentist worth their salt will take their own x-rays and make their own assessment for a dental plan(since things change) - unless it's a very unusual case . That's what they did at the Rutger's Dental Center did to fix the mess my previous crank(root canal) and yank(pull tooth after root canal went bad) dentist left . I went to a private dentist two years later and they didn't ask for previous dental records either . Sounds like that dentist is trying to rip you off !
97XBAM It's been our experience that the people of Great Smiles have been rude and belligerent, and we are not even certain that they charge everyone this fee. The only thing that we need transferred are the results of x-rays (for insurance purposes), and I am not certain how the law that GC referenced applies to x-rays.
#10. $1 per page, which you don't need. For xrays, they can charge no more than the cost to duplicate. Plus $10 retrieval. Ask them to explain how they are within these guidelines.
https://www.njconsumeraffairs.gov/den/Pages/consumersFAQ.aspx
maja2 Right, but I can't seem to find a definitive amount for the cost to duplicate an x-ray. I found one article from another state that estimated $10-$20. So, even with a service fee of $10 that would be no more than $30 per person, which is less than half of the $75 they are asking for.
I actually just remembered that a Hackettstown Imagining recently charged me $10 or $15 for a copy of cervical and lumbar MRIs, all of which was one one CD. I can't believe that the dental x-rays would be more expensive, which brings me to the conclusion that I am being totally ripped off.
Safe to say that I would not recommend Great Smiles to anyone.
Been here and they have terrible customer service. They tried that with me but somehow they waived it.
Heyitsme I don't have insurgence. I went to a new dentist and she never asked for anything, She just did her thing from the start.
Old Gent 
Cowgirl1 RC, I am surprised they are charging you *anything* to send them directly to another dentist. That’s usually a pretty simple process to send them electronically. I you wanted physical copies, then I could see charging a nominal fee. But $75 is out of line.
3wbdwnj RC - any chance you can get your new dentist to request the documents from the old dentist? This may help you avoid the fees.
In my experience, I’ve never paid for transfer of records and I’ve changed dentists somewhat frequently. All I’ve ever been asked is to sign a release.
Kris Stay as far away from this dentist as possible!
The dentist — Zuckerman — is as incompetent as they come, along with his nasty, rude and incompetent staff. He is only about the cash. He is a major rip off artist and it doesn’t surprise me he is charging you the money for your dental records. If he could charge you for breathing the air in his office, he would.
My worst move was going to him and my best move was getting my family away from him.
I don’t know how he remains in practice.
gwtwqueenie If you don't have dental there are s few plans that you pay to join and you then get a reduced rate. I have a coworker that swears by this.
Jhardworker Unless you have some dental issue that is progressive over time, the dental records may not be of much worth to the new dentist; he/she will just take new ones.
iJay I have had the exact opposite experience from them. Exceptional care and attention from both the dentist and his staff.
I now use a dental discount plan that I found on this very website . I've got a Care Credit Card that allows you to stretch out payments for a year interest free . And the best dentist I think I've ever had , Dr. Needa Waseem at West Morris Dental - where the old A&P used to be .
I'm not badmouthing Rutgers Dental Center at all , but the original dentist I had was very experienced (from Canada and going to the school to get U.S. certification) , and the dentist they assigned me to this time was an inexperienced , irresponsible kid who missed a couple of cavities and was slow to return phone calls if he returned them at all . The 7.50 they charge at the parking garage in Newark would send some here over the top I think . But 3-4K saved in dental costs would more than offset over a couple hundred paid to park for 30 visits . And those last 6 visits were mainly because the overseas company that makes the partial dentures totally FUBARED the bottoms .
https://www.1dental.com/
@RC
The scanners we have today can make perfect copies and your dentist likely has them on a PC anyway so they can be easily sent to another dentist.
The old scanners may not have picked up subtle details and you needed the original.
Why does your insurance co. need them? Just tell them to get them from the dentist.
You really need new X-rays anyway because what was happening in your mouth from a year ago may not be the same today.
I think that some dentists charge and if you just pay all well and good but if you object then waive the fee.
Dr. Benway Humm. My family switched to Dr. Zuckerman years ago and my previous dentist wanted to charge $50.00 to transfer dental records and he was retiring! Dr. Zuckerman took his own Xrays at no charge since not enough time had passed for them to be covered by insurance. Dr. Zuckerman is still our dentist today and have never had any issues with him nor the staff. We have also received exceptional care and attention from both the dentist and his staff for the ten years we been going there.
I've been using Dr Zuck for 26(?) yrs now (back when his office was off Willow Grove) - Never ever had an issue. I still have a crown that he did for me, I'm guessing 25 yrs ago and it's still fine. In fact - for that crown, my insurance didn't cover it all and he never charged me for the difference! Both he & his staff always polite & helpful!
There's always 2 sides to every story, so using common sense... I'll just ask the original poster - do / did you owe them any money or have any lingering issues...?
CommonSense We have used Dr Z for over 20 years as well. Never a problem and always available.
Not sure what the issue was but there are always three sides to every story.
What would be the need for old records since most dentists take X-rays every 6-12 months
elii My family has been with Dr Zuckerman for almost 10 years.....very happy with him and his staff.
LenaK Many insurance plans will not pay for repeat x-rays within one or two years - thus if there is a change in dentists, the "old" x-rays are needed or the new ones will be out of pocket -
either way, 75 dollars is absurd
rleaf AR and common sense - I have had experiences with this particular doctor that are quite different - beginning with being told that things are covered, and then after the procedure being sent a substantial bill, with no offer to manage the mistake - having the front staff respond rudely - so I am not at all surprised by RC's experience
I have worked for several dentists and through my experience the only time we charged for the transfer of records was when patients owed the practice money! It sounds like there is a lot more to this story than is being told! I hope RC is not posting negative reviews just to get back at the dentist! It would be a shame to discredit any healthcare professional that has been serving the needs of the community. I can say from personal experience that every day can be both challenging and rewarding when working with the public!
I think JMO hit the nail on the head. Does RC owe money to the practice? I've been with Dr. Zuckerman for 23 years and have had wonderful customer service and outstanding care. He is the one doctor who is on time, which I appreciate. I hate sitting in the waiting room for 45 minutes before an appointment. While most of my doctors charge $50 for canceling an appointment at the last minute, he does not, so I am surprised by the charge to transfer. There must be more to RC's story.
observer3 JMO, observer, you are wrong - the inquiry regarding the records transfer fee was made without identifying the patient - apparently it is their standard fee.
But you don't need the records unless their is a progressive condition. Ask your new dentist if the records are needed.
Tell them your moving out of state and you have not picked a dentist yet. Or call your dental insurance and get your EOB it will list what they charged your insurance for.
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