Common business risks & response methods of dental clinics

Business risks and countermeasures

Dental medical institutions are exposed to various risks. "Business risks" include overinvestment in equipment, risks caused by patient complaints (rumors, online postings), the occurrence of accounts receivable, information leakage issues, etc.

"High-risk risks" include medical accidents, medical equipment failures, natural disasters, crimes, etc. Now we increasingly need to take appropriate measures against these risks.

1. Types and contents of business risks

2. Complaint risks and countermeasures

(1) Risks caused by complaints Complaints can generally be used as a tool to improve the hospital’s The system's valuable information resources are used to improve medical services and ensure safety. However, in recent years, there have been an increase in cases of malicious complaints, bad words, violence, etc. that have a significant impact on business.

The improper demands, bad words, and violence of some malicious visitors, represented by "weird patients", have brought huge risks to dental medical institutions.

Bad words refer to slander (such as "quackery"), verbal abuse, sexual harassment and other words that damage the mood of other patients and employees or affect business. They are not only verbal, but also include leaflets, online Post.

In response to the above situation, we need to think of measures in advance just in case.

(2) How to Respond to Malicious Complaints (Corporate) The Medical Management Countermeasures Committee of the Sapporo Dental Association has launched a brochure titled "Just In Case Response Collection" for members. Some of them are introduced below.

※A collection of responses in case of emergencies (Excerpts from a collection of responses issued by the Sapporo Dental Association)

●Repeatedly making inappropriate demands, being considered mentally ill, and offering money For the purpose of online defamation, etc., when the complainant is judged to be malicious

?Response process?

①The director will respond and confirm the specific content of the dissatisfaction (medical records, medical treatment remuneration details Prepared)

② Take measures such as recording and video recording when the other party requests it, depending on the situation

③Contact the dental association, lawyers, and the police

●Being imposed When violence occurs

Don't stop it easily. Run away from the perpetrator first (setting an emergency bell is also very effective) and call the police. Collect testimonies from patients, employees and other relevant personnel present, write down the date and time, and get all witnesses to sign to make evidence. Monitoring is installed in a conspicuous place so that people can see it at a glance, which can act as a deterrent and reduce violence and bad words. As long as a warning sign such as "To prevent illegal and criminal activities, the hospital is equipped with surveillance cameras that record images" is posted at the entrance, it will not violate the Personal Information Protection Act or privacy issues.

●Can we refuse to treat "difficult patients"

Article 19, Paragraph 1 of the Dental Physician Act stipulates: The hospital has the obligation to diagnose and treat, but it is judged that the behavior is obstructive and the patient is in a drunken state , or if the hospital is unable to respond appropriately, it will be deemed to have legitimate reasons for refusing treatment. However, the hospital shall not refuse treatment on the grounds that the patient does not pay for medical treatment.

In addition, some clinics have developed manuals on how to deal with street talk and online postings.

■Specific examples of the manual

●If the request is judged to be inappropriate, the interview location will be designated by us. (It is best to be in a room with police posters such as "Violent Deportation", a larger table, and two entrances and exits.)

●The ultimate responsible persons such as the dean do not respond directly, but use more than Counter the number of opponents.

●Divide time to respond.

●Record the conversation. (Some lawyers do not need to record the notification.)

●Avoid expressions and speculative statements that are likely to cause misunderstanding.

●Do not stamp, sign or submit documents easily.

3. Information leakage risks and countermeasures

(1) Personal information risks

Dental medical institutions have many opportunities to know personal information. Starting from making medical records to taking X-rays and saving the film or data. In addition, when submitting detailed statements to the agency that examines and pays medical treatment reimbursement bills, providing information to other operators, and performing health examinations, sending notifications of employee health diagnosis results to the workplace (operator), and sending technician instructions to the laboratory, etc. Personal information will also be provided. There have been many problematic cases recently, such as disclosing medical records, lending X-rays, etc., so you need to be extra careful.

As mentioned above, dental medical institutions will come into contact with personal information and provide it to others under various circumstances. In this way, there will inevitably be risks such as illegality, breach of trust, and damage compensation caused by information leakage. As medical staff, we must strengthen our awareness in this regard and properly manage medical records, diagnosis and treatment reimbursement details, photographic films and other items (paper, data, film, etc.) to prevent the leakage of the acquired information.

(2) Personal Information Protection Countermeasures

With the implementation of the Personal Information Protection Act in 2005 and the amendment of the Medical Act in 2007, dental medical institutions have been given the authority to formulate safety management measures, Obligations to take measures against nosocomial infections. Necessary measures for the protection and management of personal information are introduced below.

■Improving the organizational system

①Establishing a personal information protection committee

②Appointing a personal information protection manager

③Improving the handling of personal information Window function for information-related complaints

■Improvement of personal information-related regulations

① Formulate personal information protection policy

② Formulate personal information protection regulations

③ Establish a process for disclosing personal information

④ Create a process for responding to personal information leaks (manual)

⑤ Create a process for handling complaints related to personal information (manual)

⑥Improving provisions related to confidentiality obligations in labor contracts, including after resignation

⑦Indicate safety management measures, contractor's obligations, etc. in business outsourcing contracts

■Disclosure of medical records and loan of X-rays

In principle, requests for disclosure of medical records must be responded to as soon as possible.

①The "Application for Disclosure of Medical Records, etc." is required to be submitted in the format specified by the patient

②When the agent, etc. requests disclosure, the "Power of Attorney" is required to be submitted in the specified format

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③After confirming the "Disclosure Application Form", deliver a "Reply Letter" in the prescribed format and respond quickly

④Save all records related to disclosure

4. Should Accounts receivable risks and countermeasures

(1) Accounts receivable placement risks

For dental medical institutions, small amounts of accounts receivable will continue to accumulate and be transferred to the clinic. operations bring risks. Accounts receivable are mainly "unpaid and underpaid window burdens", which are difficult to recover once incurred. Patients who have completed their diagnosis and treatment will be resistant to having to pay in the future, and it will be difficult for the hospital to recover from them, and the premise of recovery is to urge the patients to come to the hospital.

(2) Countermeasures for accounts receivable

①Preventive measures for accounts receivable

The basic countermeasure for accounts receivable is to pay more attention to collection than to collection Precautions. It is important to establish a recovery mechanism for accounts receivable in the hospital in advance.

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●Adopt an installment payment system

For patients who are worried about financial problems, we will provide suggestions for installment payment at the medical fee consultation window

●Introduction of credit cards and debit cards< /p>

■Provide adequate information

●The clerk proactively communicates according to the diagnosis and treatment content

Ask "Do you have any questions or don't understand anything" during settlement?

Give a full explanation of the diagnosis and treatment to be carried out after the doctor confirms it

●Privacy protection

Payment is a relatively sensitive topic, so it is necessary to leave a private area Space, such as consulting room

②Collection methods of accounts receivable

●Collect directly or over the phone

●Send a general urging letter to convey your intention

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●Issue a letter of supervision through a guaranteed email with proof of content

●Follow the supervision procedure according to Article 382 of the Civil Procedure Law? Civil litigation

Collect accounts receivable When doing so, the situation should be avoided from escalating into a doctor-patient dispute. Especially in recent years, there have been more and more cases of patients deliberately failing to pay for treatment, and the amount of each account receivable has also increased. If the attitude towards payment (collection of accounts receivable) is wrong, it may affect the mood of patients and lead to negative reputation, so we must identify the types of patients with late payment as early as possible.

5. Over-investment and investment risk countermeasures

(1) Equipment investment risks Various forms of dental care that are hailed as “advanced” have recently emerged. The evolution of technology has easily made the impossible possible. Regenerative medicine and low-invasive medicine are evolving particularly quickly. Starting from lasers, to the digitization of X-ray equipment, to the development and sale of dental CT, dental MRI and other equipment.

However, excessive investment in equipment can cause serious damage to clinic operations. An imbalance in revenue and expenditure will lead to a deterioration in capital turnover and ultimately the risk of bankruptcy. It is important to consider the clinic's diagnosis and treatment policy, fully explore current treatment needs and cost-effectiveness, and determine equipment investment on this basis.

(2) Investment risk countermeasures For dentists who are dedicated to providing better diagnosis and treatment, "advanced" medical equipment is their dream. There are also standardized equipment with high treatment success rates and diagnosis and treatment scores. However, the medical equipment that has been on the market in the past two to three years is expensive, which will only increase the operating burden of clinics and even lead to operational crises.

What is “advanced” for medical staff has not yet penetrated into the hearts of patients. "Installing expensive equipment can greatly improve the success rate of treatment, and such dental medical institutions are very reliable." Patients do not have this awareness. Because at this stage the success rate still mainly depends on the knowledge and skills of the surgeon.

Competition among dental medical institutions will continue to intensify. It is dangerous to consider investments based on forecasts of steadily rising operating numbers. It is best to consider and judge whether you can buy it now and whether you should pay.

■Things to note when investing in equipment

●Does it comply with the clinic’s diagnosis and treatment policy?

●Does it meet the clinic’s patient needs?

●Have you considered cost-effectiveness?

●Judging from the current financial situation, will payment have any impact in the future?