A number of surveys by professional dental and healthcare associations, and insurers, as well as anecdotal evidence over many years, have established that one of the most effective tools for Risk Management is clear, courteous and regular communication with patients. It is not only the patient who has suffered a bad outcome who may seek the advice of a personal injury lawyer. Often, the complaint, perceived problem or perceived social "slight" which angers a patient or patient family member enough to cause them to seek the advice of an attorney has little to do with the lawsuit that ultimately gets filed. Once an experienced attorney probes deeper into the patient "complaint" and obtains and reviews the dental/medical records, the attorney may be able to fashion a claim based on what she or he finds that has little direct connection to what brought the disgruntled patient to the law office in the first place. The better Risk Management approach is to communicate with the disgrunted patient and address the grievance before the patient chooses to visit an attorney.

It is all too easy to ignore the "problem patient" or put communication on the "back burner" when you get an angry letter, a billing complaint, or an oral concern. Encouraging an open dialogue as soon as possible, in the correct setting and format (in writing, by telephone, in the doctor's private office, etc) and addressing the patient's perceived concerns is not only good "customer service" but may prevent the loss of time and financial impact of a lawsuit. When in doubt of the best method or format for responding to a patient, practice management consultants and attorneys can offer assistance and guidance in crafting the appropriate response.

During this difficult economic period, it is more important than ever to make sure that your employment policies and employee manual are comprehensive, as well as, technologically and legally updated. The professional small business employer and dental professional who assumes that once the practice has a set of policies/manual in place they are "covered" is being too simplistic. If tools need to be sharpened, professional journals are published monthly and software improvements change every #.0, why not apply the same thinking to managing and setting rules for one of your most important business assets-your employees. If your manual/policies are more than five years old, do they properly address: cellphones and pda's, texting, twittering, recently enacted Red Flag legislation? If not, you would probably benefit from a review or "audit" of your employment policies and manual.