If you are a dentist or administrator looking around for help with developing a compliance program for your dental practice let me be the first to applaud your decision.
And here’s why: Some recent statistics tell us that...
- 1 in 5 malpractice claims was against dentists.
- 1 in 39 dentists will be sued for malpractice.
- About 1 in 175 dentists will face disciplinary action from their state dental board.
- Figures from the National Practitioner’s Database
It has been stated that all dentists will (likely) endure at least one audit by a third-party payor sometime during their career. This includes insurance carriers and government programs.
Why?
The FBI estimates that 10% of healthcare expenditures are fraudulent, which equates to more than $10 billion a year.
Third-party payors have a responsibility to protect the pot of money they are entrusted to administer. You better believe they’re serious about checking provider integrity. There is little room for error, even if your errors are merely mistakes!
Now you must agree these are some scary numbers and it’s not getting any better with all of the dentist related stories in the news lately. I’m not saying that we’ll prevent your mistakes from blowing up in your face, but Federal Sentencing Guidelines recognize providers’ efforts to clean up their acts and if you do get in trouble, your fines and jail terms can be mitigated. It’s time to get started on this NOW!
Know the rules, know your rights and implement programs to protect your most valuable asset!
If the government and third-party payors know you maintain an effective compliance program and have your ducks in a row, you are less likely to get picked on in the first place! We have seen it happen.
If you are an administrator or compliance officer for a dental practice and you are looking for solutions to concerns that keep you up at night or you’re looking for an ally for support or an existing compliance program or you are looking to develop a compliance program, but don’t know what to do or how to go about it, we will love to have a chat with you. So if you haven’t done so before, please give us a call at (817)-755-0035.
About the Author
A former Law Enforcement Officer/ Dental Board investigator, Duane Tinker is the CEO of Dental Compliance Specialists. Mr. Tinker provides compliance consulting, auditing and training services for dentists and Dental Service Organizations on compliance risks including OSHA, HIPAA, Dental Board rules/ regulations, state radiology rules, DEA and state drug regulations, and Medicaid. Mr. Tinker is a frequent speaker for dental societies and study clubs. He also hosts a podcast called Talking with the Toothcop. Mr. Tinker can be reached by calling (817) 755-0035 or through his company’s website DentalCompliance.com.