Search

 

Aug 04, 2022
Anesthesia Care: Strategies for Preventing Dental Injuries
Brent Lee, MD, MPH, FASA, Director, Clinical Excellence and Performance Improvement, North American Partners in Anesthesia, and Karen Fielder, RN, JD, Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, North American Partners in Anesthesia
Being aware of the causes of tooth damage related to surgical intubation can help anesthesia clinicians avoid future problems.

Professional Education
Anesthesia Care: Preventing Dental Injury
Dental injury claims continue to make up almost a quarter of all anesthesiology claims (22 percent) with over 30 percent of tooth damage claims resulting in indemnity payments to the plaintiff. Due to the frequent occurrence of dental injury claims, anesthesia professionals must be aware of dental injury causes, preventive measures, and steps to take if injury occurs.

Jan 26, 2024
Reduce the Risk of Wrong-Site and Wrong-Tooth Dental Procedures
Sue Boisvert, BSN, MHSA, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
Wrong-site procedures are a common problem in dentistry. A wrong tooth extraction can be prevented with the use of proper protocols, including confirmed communication with referring dentists and documentation of verbal discussions with patients.

Sep 01, 2023
Responding to Requests for Dental Records and the Consequences of Refusing
This risk management discussion can help dental professionals avoid complaints, investigations, and sanctions when they respond to dental record requests.

Feb 29, 2024
Providing Dental Services in the Hospital Setting
Susan Boisvert, BSN, MHSA, Senior Patient Safety Risk Manager, and Nichole M. Pieters, MS, RN, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, The Doctors Company, Part of TDC Group
Lack of familiarity with hospital systems and medical staff rules may pose risk management implications for dental care professionals. These strategies can help practitioners navigate the hospital environment.

Professional Education
Prevention of Medical Errors (2023–2025 Edition)
Few medical errors are attributed to faulty medical judgment. More commonly, they are attributed to system failures inherent in healthcare delivery. By drawing on our professional liability closed claims data, we have identified common performance and diagnostic errors. We analyzed loss prevention measures in tandem with the elements necessary to conduct a credible and thorough root cause analysis to reduce system failures, respond to sentinel events, prevent medical errors, and improve patient safety. The purpose of this program is to provide clinicians with the most current information regarding the prevention of common performance and diagnostic errors.

Sep 01, 2023
Failure to Diagnose and Refer Results in Court and Dental Board Action
This case explores the issues surrounding a misdiagnosis claim and outlines steps to help dental professionals avoid these types of allegations.

Mar 29, 2021
Is Your Patient a Victim of Human Trafficking?
Amy Wasdin, RN, CPHRM, Patient Safety Risk Manager II, The Doctors Company
Although trafficking victims rarely find opportunities to interact with others, a visit to a physician or dental practice may provide an opportunity for a victim to receive help. Learn to recognize the signs of human trafficking and know what steps to take.

Jul 16, 2021
Medical and Dental Record Issues: Frequently Asked Questions
Richard Cahill, JD, Vice President and Associate General Counsel, The Doctors Company
We answer questions frequently asked by members about medical and dental records, such as length of retention, how to destroy hard copy paper records, and creating backups of electronic health records.

Sep 01, 2023
Unethical Treatment Leads to Lawsuit and Dental Board Action
Our analysis and risk management discussion of a case involving allegations of unethical treatment includes strategies to help dental professionals avoid becoming the focus of an investigation or claim.