LMT article…

October 26, 2009

Dentists and laboratories alike should be watching with interest as a legal case about to go to court may set a precedent that drastically affects how we do business together.

In this month’s edition of Lab Management Today, there is a letter from Mr. Lee Culp, owner of Mosaic Studios in Sarasota, FL in which he describes being sued for malpractice.  None of the case specifics are detailed, but it appears the gist of the legal question has to do with Mr. Culp’s  position in the industry as a “well-informed expert on dental technology” who “should not have performed the work the doctor asked me to do”.

One of the more troubling aspects of the case is Mr. Culp’s realization that even though he considered himself heavily insured for most contingencies, he nor his insurance company ever thought about the possibility of malpractice insurance.

The fallout of this case, should it be decided in the plaintiff’s favor is mind-boggling.  Am I as a dental technician to be placed in the position of second-guessing my clients to the point of refusing work that I deem “inapproriate”?  And, how about the artistic element of the service we provide – will it be open to interpretation?  Can you imagine having an eight-unit veneer case being “judged” by a jury of your peers, realizing that the jury would most likely consist of layman with no particular experience in dental esthetics?

I will post more as I hear it, or you can visit LMTmag.com by clicking here.

© 2009, Jeff Saylors. All rights reserved.