Dental Institute - IL

The first step in becoming a patient is to schedule an appointment by calling 630-745-4500. This appointment is a brief examination by a student doctor, in consultation with a faculty dentist, to determine if your dental concerns are compatible with the educational needs of our students.

Due to the nature of an academic dental clinic, not everyone is selected as a patient. If you are selected as a potential teaching case at the initial screening examination, you will be assigned a dental student team who will become your primary dental health providers while you are undergoing treatment at the Dental Institute, based on your dental needs and the students’ educational needs.

If accepted as a teaching case, you may continue with the comprehensive exam and radiographs that same day(s) or schedule an appointment at a convenient time.

Throughout your exam, we keep you informed. Findings are reviewed by student and faculty, and then we discuss treatment plan options — carefully explaining the exam results, the anticipated costs, and scheduling.

Please bring:

• Photo identification such as a valid driver’s license or personal identification card.
• A form of payment (we accept cash, personal checks with valid identification, American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa, and CareCredit).
• Your dental insurance card if applicable.
• A list of your current medications.

If you had recent x-rays, please request that the dental provider’s office send them to us before your initial screening appointment.

After your initial appointment, you will schedule an appointment to determine your treatment needs. Alternate treatment plans may be presented.

Each treatment plan will be explained to you so that you understand what you can expect, how much each plan will cost, and your risks of treatment and non-treatment.

Patients will not have the option to select only limited portions of the recommended treatment plan for dental care or to split services between the Dental Institute and a private dentist with the exception of emergency treatment.

Emergency Treatment Only

Care provided by a private dentist is limited to the relief of pain and suffering and the necessary steps to ensure that the situation will not recur.

Patient-Centered Care

The Dental Institute follows a patient-centered care approach to dental education.

Patients are an integral component of the dental team and are actively involved in planning their care. Patient-centered care includes educating patients so that they will have the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions. However, this does not imply that patients dictate the type of care to be provided. Decisions are made as a team, and the provider(s) maintain responsibility to follow the standards of care and ethical behavior dictated by the dental profession and the college.

New patients should arrive 30 minutes before your appointment time and bring the completed new patient paperwork that was mailed to your home or delivered through secure email or text message.

Existing patients should arrive 15 minutes prior to your appointment time to complete necessary registration procedures and/or update insurance information. 

Children Accompanying Parents

To ensure the safety of children, they will not be permitted to accompany you into the treatment area or be left unattended in the waiting area. Children must be supervised by another adult in the waiting area at all times. If your children are left unattended, your appointment will be cancelled. Therefore, please make prior arrangements for appropriate childcare.

Cancelled Appointments

Appointments should be cancelled only when it is absolutely necessary. Your student doctor will give you the clinic phone number to call directly.

We require 48 hours of notice for an appointment cancellation. If you cancel with less than 48 hours notice of your scheduled appointment, it would be considered a “no show” appointment. Patients who fail three scheduled appointments will be dismissed from the Dental Institute and will not be permitted to continue in the teaching program.

Please remember that your student doctor depends on you to make your appointments as there is a limited amount of time for your student doctor to achieve the necessary clinical experiences required for graduation.

Special Accommodations

Please advise us in advance if you have a special accommodation such as a hearing impairment or availability of a wheelchair.

Non-English-Speaking Patients

For the benefit of your understanding of the treatment provided, we encourage you to bring a translator with you to your appointment if you do not speak English.

Inquiries

If you have any questions about your treatment, fees, or rights, you should first contact your student doctor.

You should attempt to resolve non-financial patient problems and/or complaints while you are at the Dental Institute with your student doctor and supervising faculty doctor. In the event that this effort is unsuccessful, you should consult the Associate Dean for Clinical Education.

Problems of a financial nature should be directed to the Patient Accounts Office.

Emergencies

• During Regular Business Hours: Patients of record should contact their student doctor.
• During Academic Breaks: Emergency care for patients of record is available from 8:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
• Outside of Regular Business Hours: In case of emergencies involving severe pain and/or swelling, patients of record should call 630-743-4500.

As a patient of a Midwestern University Clinic, I understand I have the responsibility to:

1. Provide, to the best of my knowledge, accurate and complete information about current medical complaints, past illnesses, hospitalizations, medicines, and other issues relevant to my care, and subsequent changes to these.
2. Inform my provider promptly if I do not understand information relating to my care and treatment or I receive instructions that I cannot comply with.
3. Keep appointments, or call to cancel with a minimum of 48hour notice when I cannot keep a scheduled appointment.
4. Observe Midwestern University’s no smoking policy.
5. Follow Midwestern University’s rules and regulations.
6. Provide information regarding changes in my insurance, address, or phone number.
7. Provide information about payment for services and meet all financial obligations.
8. Accept responsibility for my actions if I refuse treatment or do not follow my provider’s instructions.
9. Be considerate of other patients and Midwestern University property.
10. Show courtesy and respect to Midwestern University and clinic personnel.
11. Behave reasonably and appropriately, showing respect for the professional atmosphere of Midwestern University.

1. No patient will be denied treatment based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or public assistance status.
2. The patient shall be treated in a courteous manner, with dignity and respect for the patient’s right to confidentiality.
3. Patients scheduled during the posted operating times will be seen for services as quickly as possible, with assignment, initial treatment where indicated, and follow-up appointments scheduled as soon after the initial screening appointment as is practical.
4. If, during the screening appointment, the supervising faculty dentist determines that the person seeking care will not be accepted as a patient, that person will be immediately informed of the decision.
5. The patient shall have access to emergency, incremental, and comprehensive care as appropriate for the patient’s presenting condition(s).
6. The patient or parent/legal guardian shall receive an explanation of the results of the examination, alternative treatment options, sequence, costs of service, and the option to pursue care elsewhere if dissatisfied with the planned treatment.
7. The patient or parent/legal guardian shall be advised of the risks of the treatment planned, including risks of individual procedures and the consequences of no treatment.
8. The patient shall receive continuity of care and completion of treatment.
9. The patient shall receive care during posted clinic hours or shall receive emergency consultation by phone or, if deemed necessary, treatment at a designated location after regular clinic hours.
10. Treatment shall be supervised by faculty and shall be consistent with the standards of care in the community.
11. The patient shall be seen as soon as possible after the scheduled appointment time and have ongoing treatment rendered in a timely manner.
12. Every patient will receive a copy of the Patient Bill of Rights at the time of service.
13. The patient shall have access to a patient advocate should there be any questions or concerns related to the patient’s treatment.
14. Patients whose treatment is discontinued will be notified in writing. Alternate treatment options may be suggested.
15. At the time of admission as a patient, an individual patient record will be established. This record will contain diagnostic and therapeutic information related to the patient’s care and will be updated at every appointment according to the guidelines of the Midwestern University Clinic Patient Record Protocol.
16. Upon completion of treatment, the Quality Assurance Committee conducts random examinations to determine the completeness, timeliness, and appropriateness of care, the
    patient’s level of satisfaction with care, and the completeness of the patient record. Corrections will be instituted as needed.

It is the policy of Midwestern University to maintain a positive, trusting, and cooperative relationship with clinic patients. In the event a clinic chooses to dismiss a patient of record from the teaching program and/or clinical care, this policy outlines the University’s patient dismissal procedure.

Single Clinic Dismissal

A clinic may decide, independently of another clinic, to dismiss a patient. That patient may be dismissed from the teaching program or from the clinic for any of the following reasons:

1. Need for care or expectations exceed the scope of a teaching program.
2. After three no-show appointments during the preceding twelve calendar months, a patient may be dismissed from the teaching program or clinic. A no-show appointment is defined as the patient’s failure to provide 48-hour notice of cancelation and/or failure to show for scheduled appointments.
3. A patient may be dismissed who is seeking only occasional treatment for relief of pain and not interested in comprehensive care.
4. Failure to schedule appointments for completion of procedures.
5. Failure to schedule health maintenance appointments.
6. Refusal to provide complete and accurate information about current medical conditions and complaints, past illnesses, medications, and other issues relevant to care.
7. Failure to adhere to the Midwestern University Clinics’ responsibilities as a patient or guardian of a patient, as outlined on the clinic website.
8. Refusal of treatment and/or not following provider instructions.
9. Failure to provide information about payment for services.
10. Each clinic may individually make a decision to dismiss a patient. For example, a patient who fulfills criterion 4 may be dismissed from the Dental Institute, but might not be dismissed by the Eye Institute. Final decision for a patient dismissal is made by the Clinical Dean/Medical Director or their designee in each clinic.
11. Patients in the midst of a multi-step procedure may complete their treatment at the discretion of the Clinical Dean/Medical Director and be stable prior to dismissal. A dismissed patient will be allowed emergency care for 30 days from the date of dismissal and will be given a referral to another provider.

All Clinics Dismissal

• A patient who exhibits drug seeking behavior, sexual or other forms of prohibited harassment, and/or use of abusive or derogatory language will be dismissed from all clinics. In the instance where the dismissed patient has animal(s) being seen at the Companion Animal Clinic or Large Animal Clinic, the animal(s) will be dismissed from the clinic(s).
• In the instance that the dismissed patient has a minor child and/or spouse being seen at a clinic, that minor child and/or spouse will be dismissed from the clinic.
• A patient may be dismissed for failure to meet all financial obligations.

Appeal of Dismissal

Patients may appeal their dismissal to the appropriate Clinical Director, the Dean of the College, or their designee for discussion and resolution. The Dean of the College will notify the Chief Academic Officer immediately of patients’ appeal referrals. If the dismissal is upheld, patients are notified that they may appeal to the Chief Academic Officer of the respective college or clinic involved in the dismissal.

Dental records are the property of the Dental Institute. As the patient, you have a right to view them and have reasonable access. Copies of your records and x-rays will be provided to you or forwarded to another practitioner upon your signed written request. There is a nominal fee charged for the duplication of records.