Category: Legal Issues

In the world that we are currently living in there are very few people, if any, that can say they do not know someone who has COVID-19 or has had COVID-19. The virus has spread throughout the country and likely has had an impact on each of us. Having said that, and with the current spread of the virus, we have been receiving phone calls about ... [continue reading]

A common question I receive at the ODA is how to terminate the dentist-patient relationship in a proper way. I think this is the case because it is not something that a dentist does on a normal basis, and when they do they want to ensure they are doing it correctly. Terminating the dentist-patient relationship requires the dentist to exercise care ... [continue reading]

Way back in February, before the COVID-19 pandemic, during a time that was not as crazy as now, I wrote an article about patients requesting to film in a dental office. At the time this was something that I had not given much thought to because it seemed to be somewhat of an obscure question. Fast forward a few months and dentistry looks much ... [continue reading]

Over the last few months, I have received many calls from dentists regarding the Terminal Distributor of Dangerous Drugs license (TDDD). Most of these calls have stemmed from a document sent by suppliers asking for TDDD license numbers. The paperwork also includes a response where a dentist can indicate he or she is exempt from having a TDDD. The ... [continue reading]

Last month we looked into patient documentation and record retention. This month to finish the two-part series we will look at the documentation of the office and employees. As is always the case, documentation in the dental office is of the utmost importance. As the saying goes in dental offices, if it is not documented it did not happen. That is ... [continue reading]

In the last three months we have encountered unprecedented times. During this time, practices worked very restricted hours and now things are beginning to open up. One thing has remained constant. Documentation is key to ensuring that your practice is running as effectively as possible. Prior to COVID-19, if we can think back to those times, ... [continue reading]

Over the last few months I have spoken with many of you over the phone or through email. The one constant in all of those conversations is that change is inevitable. It seems like in the first few weeks of the coronavirus pandemic information could go stale between morning and afternoon phone calls. It seems that every time we get information to ... [continue reading]

Over the past few months I have been surprised by a few phone calls centered on patients or patient's representatives filming in the dental office. The conversations have revolved around whether or not the patient has a “right” to film in the office. I wanted to take the time this month to address this because the subject is something ... [continue reading]

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) classifies dental offices as places of public accommodation. Accordingly, offices must make "reasonable modifications" to their practices, policies and procedures in order to accommodate disabled patients. This act covers all types of disabilities, but in this article I want to discuss one of the most ... [continue reading]

Over the past few years it has become more common to see an animal in a dental office or in public places. In that time I have been asked questions about the rights of animal owners to have their companion in the office. This trend has increased to include phone calls from dental offices asking if they are allowed to have an office animal. The ... [continue reading]