Legal Issues within Teledentist


    Have you ever felt like the modern world is evolving in a way that is innovative, but seems rather lazy as well? Not only is it becoming more common in the dental world to meet online for visits, but also it is becoming rather popular in other fields such as medicine. My concern right now is the possible legal issues that can come from using video chat rather than in-person videos.

     One major issue that can arise from using teledentistry is malpractice. Malpractice can be described as illegal or negligent medical advice or care. The way this can happen in over the phone dentistry is that a patient could risk the chance of not properly being evaluated. This puts the dentist at risk for being sued or losing their license. This also puts the patient's health at risk and could be very serious. This is just one reason why online video visits are not always the best way to go about seeing your dentist and why this evolving business is not the smartest thing to come about the modern world. 

    Another reason this business is not the safest is ethical issues. Such ethical issues that arise within teledentistry is fraud. Fraud can happen by keeping incomplete records or general templates. In many cases within the legal system, dentist have lost their cases due to not fully detailing their notes as well as using pre-made templates to fill out the patient's information. Heading back to the malpractice idea, dentists can also face legal issues by misdiagnosing someone in terms of cost. A dentist could schedule a procedure that is way more costly than a procedure that is actually needed for the patient. Another form of fraud could be on the patient's end. The possible form of fraud on the patient's end is the misuse of medical information/insurance. 

    Though there are many benefits to teledentistry, it is ultimately safer in my opinion and to some others that in-person visits stay the primary form of visitation. This reduces any extra complications and encourages individuals to go out. Though it may help some people in the evolving world, it may be the better option to go in-person because it is better safe than sorry. 


Tags: online dentistry, #ENGL2201FA2024, legal issues, ethics


https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0002817714626386

https://www.dentaleconomics.com/practice/article/14213460/teledentistry-avoid-these-potentially-fraudulent-mistakes 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Shortage in the Dental World

Image
      As many people know, the pandemic hit many people very hard. Some business definitely endured more suffering financially and maybe more mentally than others. Personally, I feel like the biggest shortage I hear about is nurses, but when looking more closely at things, the dental world is suffering just as much.  This phenomenon is definitely not new, but it has gotten worse over the pandemic and during quarantine especially.      The pandemic is definitely a big reasoning for shortages, but there are also many other factors as to why there is a decline in dental office positions such as dental assistants, administration, and dentists. Three main reasons are socioeconomics, education, and policy-related factors. Socioeconomics plays a part in the decline of staff available for offices because certain positions such as dental assistants or administration are not offered competitive or livable wages. This can immediately turn someone's interest off f...
Read more

AI in Dentistry

Image
      In today's evolving world, AI, or artificial intelligence, is becoming more prominent in many areas. It has become a lot more popular in social media, school, and fields of study. I personally have used it for permitted help in my schoolwork, but my particular fascination with AI evolving is in dentistry.      I know the idea of AI being used in healthcare may be scary to some, but according to the ADA, dentist assure their patients and others that AI will never be used as a primary form of care. Rather AI will be used more as an assistant. Though this can have it's disadvantages by taking some of dental hygienist's job, it can really benefit the efficiency of the dentist's work and care. Ways in which AI can help dental care are in imaging and diagnosis, treatment planning, virtual reality, and administrative help.  Imaging and diagnosis: - AI helps with imaging and diagnosis by analyzing scans of patients and helping the dentist diagnose the pa...
Read more