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3 Ways To Avoid Dental Lawsuits At Your Practice

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As a dentist, you will be required to purchase dental malpractice insurance, which can be extremely costly. The cost is based on the amount of insurance you purchase, the type you choose, and your history of claims and lawsuits. If you want to keep your costs low, you will need to find ways to avoid malpractice lawsuits. Here are three tips that might help you prevent getting sued by your patients.

Thoroughly Screen Your Patients

When patients need dental services, it is highly important to make sure they are in good health before completing the services. To do this, you may want to ask them questions about their current health status as well as the medications they are taking. If you feel that a person's health is not good enough, you may want to refer the person to a specialist for services instead of completing the procedures yourself.

By doing this, you are transferring the risk to a different dentist, and this is one of the best ways to protect yourself with patients that could be considered risky.

Require Waivers Before Procedures

Another good practice to have involves the use of waivers. A waiver form offers a different form of protection for your dental office, and this is a good requirement to have before all dental procedures.

A waiver is a document that clearly states the risks of a procedure, and it is used to eliminate the risk a dentist offers when performing dental work. If you require all patients to sign waivers before procedures, you can remind them of this if they complain about a problem. Of course, it is also a good idea to try to solve problems patients have when they complain. If you do this, they are more likely to return to your office for future services, and they might be less likely to sue you.

Build Good Rapport With Your Patients

Studies show that patients are less likely to sue their dentists if they know them and trust them. A good habit to develop in your practice is truly getting to know your patients. When they come in, make notes about what they do for a living and what their interests are. When they leave your office after having work completed, call them personally to see how they are doing.

No matter what steps you take, there is always a chance a patient will sue you. To protect yourself for times like these, you must have a sufficient amount of dental malpractice insurance from a company like HMBD Insurance Services. If you would like to learn more about your options, contact a provider that specializes in dental insurance products.


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