For dental professionals seeking legal expertise, information, and counsel, Boyd W. Shepherd, D.D.S., J.D., and The legaldental.com Law Library equip and educate Texas dentists for navigating their legal concerns. Subscribe below for updates and information.
Are you documenting blood pressure in the dental record?
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“We always take our patients' blood pressure.”
That's good. But from a dental record-keeping standpoint, there is another question: Is the blood pressure actually documented in the patient's record? Texas Dental Board rules address the patient's medical history and limited physical evaluation, which includes blood pressure and pulse or heart rate. If the blood pressure was taken but the reading was never entered into the record, someone reviewing that record months—or years—later may have no way of knowing what the reading was or establishing from the record that it was taken at all. Are You Documenting Blood Pressure in the Dental Record? I've prepared a short video addressing this simple but important record-keeping issue, and what Texas dentists should consider documenting as part of the treatment-planning process. Don't just take the blood pressure.
Document it.
I've also prepared a free dental record-keeping reference for Texas dentists: Download the free guide: 5 Things You Must Include In a Dental Patient Record Education Before Problems Arise.
Experienced Counsel When They Do.
P.S. If you'd like to go deeper into these issues, my online Risk Management for Texas Dentists course provides 6 CE Credit Hours in Risk Management & Record Keeping, Including Ethics, using several dental practice scenarios drawn from actual Texas Dental Board cases. |
legaldental.com
For dental professionals seeking legal expertise, information, and counsel, Boyd W. Shepherd, D.D.S., J.D., and The legaldental.com Law Library equip and educate Texas dentists for navigating their legal concerns. Subscribe below for updates and information.
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