"What I know now…" removing patients from practice lists
I have been a practice adviser with MDDUS for exactly a year now. I had been a practice manager for many years before this and welcomed the opportunity to change direction and use my skills in a different environment. What a steep learning curve it has turned out to be!
First-time risks of dental practice
Whatever the outlook of an individual dentist entering general dental practice for the first time, there are clearly both risks and benefits associated with taking this step.Identifying those risks and learning how to manage them will be of interest to those taking up VT positions (VDPs), other members of the team who will work with VDPs, and possibly also to those making the transition from trainee to associate.
Records - friend or foe?
Consider this scenario – several months after a consultation a patient complains to the GMC that you behaved inappropriately during an examination.
Where do claims occur in primary care?
You may have heard the old adage concerning the analysis of systems data: ”rubbish in, rubbish out”. This means that, no matter how modern and sophisticated your information systems may be, frustration will be the likely outcome if the information it contains is incomplete, inaccurate or inconsistent.
Reducing risk: when a patient refuses a chaperone
My recent blog on offering chaperones when undertaking intimate examinations sparked some discussion here over cases we have encountered.
Communicating with patients as a new dental VT
This time of year brings all sorts of reminders of growth and change. From the season’s new green shoots and emerging bursts of colour to the approach of term-end with students starting out on their new careers and lives as professionals.
Are you a chatty dentist?
I recently came across a complaint file about one of our dental members, emanating from a patient who had taken umbrage that, during her consultation, he had conducted an entire conversation in Spanish with his dental nurse.
Reducing risk: do you offer a chaperone?
A recent MDDUS case highlighted the importance of offering patients a chaperone for intimate examinations, regardless of the gender of patient or doctor.
Are you ticking the right boxes?
TICKING boxes and form-filling are routine tasks in busy practices, but recent research at MDDUS has revealed some surprising risks.
Reducing risk: scripting positive responses
When was the last time you listened in to reception on a busy morning?Patient experience is becoming one of the most important criteria in measuring a practice’s performance, with frontline communication being a key aspect of this.