Dental Board investigations in Ohio are required any time any complaint is filed against a dentist.  The complaint could be initiated by an individual, an insurance company, or virtually any third party, without any proof what-so-ever of any wrong doing on the part of the dentist.  By statute, the Dental Board is required to investigate all such cases and make findings with regard to whether any action should be taken against the dentist as a result of the investigation.  Many of our dental clients find that disgruntled employees may often be the complaining parties, causing the dentist to expend money for attorney fees to defend the case, and also causing emotional trauma from having to deal with a Dental Board investigation, with the staff knowing that the dentist is being investigated for misconduct.  As you know, bad news travels much faster than good news, therefore, even a dentist who is found to have not committed any of the alleged acts still carries with him or her the stigma of having been investigated.

So what is the solution?  Make sure that you have regular meetings with your staff, both in group sessions and privately, and determine with those discussions whether any employees are potential problems, and if so, address them immediately.  Terminating an employee with the use of a termination agreement is always a good idea.  This type of agreement many times would include a non disparagement clause, meaning that the departing employee agrees that he or she will not make any disparaging remarks regarding the dentist after termination, nor will there be any attempt to seek retribution by attempting to cause the dentist to be sued or investigated by the Dental Board.  Many times a severance package is necessary to accomplish the execution of an agreement with a departing employee, but in the long run, the costs are relatively minor compared to the potential alternative.  Please see a professional with experience specifically in dental issues should any of these issues arise in your practice.