In today’s legal environment, a owner of a dental practice may be vicariously liable for the errors and omissions of staff members. As a general rule, the risks are clinical in nature, however, a substantial amount of errors or omissions occur as a result of miscommunication. In matters of alleged patient miscommunication, a patient alleges that they were told the wrong clinical information, or were never told the correct clinical information at all.
Although, claims arising from a dentist’s vicarious liability for the clinical error or omission of a staff member may not be very common, dental malpractice claims arise from a patient’s dissatisfaction with staff member interaction. A dental practice owner can manage the risks of staff members by hiring qualified individuals, who can project the desired image of the practice, are well trained, and communicate in a clear manner.
Author(s)
Stuart J. Oberman, Esq.
Stuart J. Oberman is the founder and President of Oberman Law Firm. Mr. Oberman graduated from Urbana University and received his law degree from John Marshall Law School. Mr. Oberman has been practicing law for over 30 years, and before going into private practice, Mr. Oberman was in-house counsel for a Fortune 500 Company.
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