In modern practice do you find that people are more inclined to refund cost of treatment/ pay for specialist treatment/ alternative treatment options for patients to avoid litigations. What are some other ways you could manage your patient?
A refund to the patient who complains or is unhappy with your treatment can be a powerful risk mitigating factor. The patient is then not out of pocket and is much less inclined to take any further action. Such decisions are personal ones for the practitioners. Under the MIPS Members Indemnity Insurance Policy, any liability you have for a refund of a patient fee is excluded. This is generally the case with other indemnifiers. MIPS can assist with an appropriate wording in such circumstances.
Why is dentistry becoming a business rather than a service for patient's health needs?
That perception is probably due to increased competition, introduction of treatments beyond traditional dental treatments and the way some practises are promoted. At the end of the day, members must be mindful of their code of conduct, scope of practice and other regulator requirements and expectations. Should your practice be investigated, you will be judged against those codes and requirements.
Everyone in my town seems to be disobeying these rules - who is going to do anything about it? Can AHPRA really enforce these regulations?
Assuming you refer to the Dental Board rules, notifications can be made of a voluntary nature by the public and a mandatory nature by colleagues. Additionally, various government agencies can report practitioners to the regulator. The regulators also conduct random audits of practices in relation to infection control and the various declarations made by practitioners at renewal of registration.
How do you think private health insurance companies are affecting the way we treat patients?
The views on this subject as polar opposites. On the one hand some practitioners, particularly the young dentist starting up and looking for patients, may welcome the patient flow that a relationship with a health insurer might provide. On the other hand an older established practitioner with a stable patient base may resent any perceived any perceived interference that a health insurer might have with the practice or fee structure.
What are the pitfalls that new graduates can get into?
From MIPS experience there are a number of areas that new graduates need to be wary of. These relate to a clear understanding and agreement on your employment conditions and arrangements (employee or contractor), are you indemnified by your employer or require your own indemnity. There are also issues of abiding by your scope of practice, the always important issue of appropriate verbal and written communications and an understanding of the benefits of refunds as a risk mitigation factor.
As a new graduate I did find my self almost peer pressured to do activities I was not comfortable in doing, my advice to new graduate would be to stick to your guns and stand up for yourself.
MIPS would agree that that is the safest approach. If you are not qualified, trained or experienced in certain procedures and not confident, then it is advisable to refrain from doing so. It is always you, the individual practitioner who is responsible for the treatment of your patient, but more importantly responsible for the outcome both short and long term.
I have a patient who has severe cerebral palsy. He is a very difficult patient to treat due to his condition. I referred to a periodontist but patient can't afford the treatment. Referred to OHCWA . They also can't treat him. What else can I do?
The public system is probably your best approach. We suggest you either take up the issue yourself or preferably direct the parents/carers to further investigate the matter with the Western Australian Health Department.