Question: It was recently brought to my attention that a patient posted on the internet false and misleading information regarding treatment I provided to her. The posting also contains false and defamatory descriptions of me...more
6/27/2025
/ Advertising ,
Defamation ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Misleading Statements ,
Online Reviews ,
Patient Privacy Rights ,
Personal Information ,
PHI ,
Privacy Laws ,
Risk Management ,
Social Media ,
Telecommunications ,
Websites
Question: Over the years, several of my colleagues and I have been the subject of investigations by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. In most of these cases it’s hard to imagine why LARA is...more
5/28/2025
/ Dental Practice ,
Dentists ,
Enforcement Actions ,
Government Agencies ,
Health Care Providers ,
Healthcare ,
Investigations ,
Licensing Rules ,
Physicians ,
Public Health ,
Regulatory Agencies ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
State and Local Government
Question: I have had several colleagues describe their experience with dental plan audits. All of them have had to pay something back. Sometimes they say this is due to a service being deemed a “noncovered service.” Other...more
1/31/2025
/ Audits ,
Dental Practice ,
Dentists ,
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) ,
Health Care Providers ,
Health Insurance ,
Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) ,
Healthcare ,
Insurance Claims ,
Insurance Industry ,
Insurance Litigation ,
Reimbursements ,
Risk Management
This Final Rule does not take effect until 120 days after it is published in the Federal Register. Litigation seeking to prevent the Final Rule from ever taking effect has already been commenced in the United States District...more
Daniel Schulte discusses why dentists should not incentivize patient referrals in The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association (November 2023).
Question: I would like to add a referral incentive program to attract new...more
Question: Due to a staffing shortage at my office, I have been forced to make some difficult choices. For example, I have had some patients who were seen previously only for an emergency visit. They had no regular dentist and...more
Question: Are covenants not to compete and liquidated damages provisions in employment agreements still enforceable? I have seen news reports about the Federal Trade Commission and National Labor Relations Board being...more
Question: I am under audit by a dental plan I participate with. The audit has identified a few issues in connection with how my billing employees have been submitting claims for payment. For example, the name of the treating...more
7/27/2023
/ Audits ,
Billing ,
Burden of Proof ,
Dental Practice ,
False Billing ,
Fraud ,
Health Care Providers ,
Insurance Claims ,
Misrepresentation ,
Participation Agreements ,
Reasonable Doubt
Question: Our eScribe software allows us to access a patient’s prescription history. We are able to see what medications have been prescribed by other health care providers. MAPS also allows us to do this. When requesting...more
Question: A health plan that I participate with has sent me a notice stating that it has audited some of the claims I have submitted over the past three years. The health plan believes that some of these claims were improper...more
Question: More and more I have patients refusing exams and X-rays for financial reasons. These patients only want to have their teeth cleaned. I am uncomfortable allowing this in my practice. What will happen if diseases or...more
Question: I’m reading media accounts that the FTC is about to ban all covenants not to compete. When will this happen? Will the covenant not to compete in my employment agreement that I signed two years ago be banned? Will...more
Question: I have a patient who is very difficult to deal with. He is rude to my employees, does not always follow my treatment recommendations, complains about my fees, and is generally very unpleasant. I do not care to see...more
Most physicians and dentists are familiar with contracting to be a part of a third-party payer’s network. This usually means increased patient flow (from the patients enrolled in the payer’s plan(s)) and fee...more