Dentists and Informed Consent

Obtaining Informed Consent

A cornerstone of the dental practice, as with most healthcare professions, is the requirement to obtain informed consent before commencing treatment and procedures. The ADA Code of Ethics provides that informed consent, at a fundamental level, honors and empowers patient autonomy and involvement, imposing upon the dentist the “duty to respect the patient’s rights to…

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The STOP Act: Dentists and the Opioid Crisis

Stop the Opioid Crisis

I think we can all agree that there is an opioid crisis in North Carolina and throughout the United States. While we may disagree on the root causes and possible solutions, it’s hard to argue that opioids present a public health emergency. One factor that led to today’s issue involves both misunderstanding and miscommunication (whether…

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When OSHA Comes Knocking: How to Prepare Your Dental Practice

These days, protecting your dental practice means many different things. The current COVID era in which we live has imposed a veritable cornucopia of new requirements, duties and obligations on dental practices, including those imposed by OSHA and OSHA investigations. If your dental practice finds itself the subject of an upcoming or pending OSHA Investigation,…

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PODCAST: Blueprint to Associate Agreements

Associate Agreements and Core Concerns

Student Entrepreneurs in Dentistry Podcast Series: Blueprint to Associate Agreements I recently had the opportunity to participate in a podcast hosted by the Student Entrepreneurs in Dentistry of UNC School of Dentistry at Chapel Hill, led by Mr. Christian Hart. The podcast focused on two topics. The first was associate agreements, particularly that first agreement after…

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HIPAA and the Practitioner’s Perspective: Appreciating the Risk

The practicing doctor (presumably) knows that he or she is (likely) subject to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (“HIPAA”). Less certain is whether said practitioner knows just what that means. HIPAA – particularly the provisions of HIPAA commonly known as the Privacy Rule, the Security Rule and the HIPAA Breach Notification…

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So You’re Graduating Dental School; What’s Next?

That’s a good question. What is next? You’ve just spent several years dedicated to education, learning the ins and outs of dental medicine. Now it’s time to decide how your dental career will start. The good news is that you have options. Associateship. The most common route, taking an associate position with an existing practice…

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Three Under-Appreciated Issues in a Practice Purchase Transaction

When purchasing a practice, there is a veritable cornucopia of things to do. Based on the sheer number of tasks to complete to get ready to close, it is easy to overlook any number of potential risks and issues, not realizing the problem until you find closing is delayed or there is a post-closing problem…

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