Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2014 - (Page 14)

PRACTICE MANAGEMENT DIARY Incoming and Outgoing Radiographs A By Dr. Gerald Nelson n incoming X-ray can be a ticking time bomb if not properly handled. An X-ray that gets filed before you review it leads to frustration and anger on the part of the patient family or referring dentist. On the other hand, reading an X-ray that simply should have been filed or scanned is a waste of time. Losing an X-ray results in valuable time spent searching, presents a potential for additional radiation for the patient and, in the end, can make for a very unhappy patient family. Outgoing X-rays can cause similar frustrations. For example, a patient is in the oral surgeon's office to have teeth extracted, but your office has failed to send X-rays and an extraction slip, resulting in delays and confusion. Or, your staff person responds to a lawyer's request for X-rays without first checking with you, resulting in legal problems. LOGGING RECORDS IN AND OUT The treatment record must always reflect when, what, who, and why. Examples are as follows: 1/1/14: Ordered pano from B Dental XR for 3rd molars; or 2/3/13: Beg. rec. and surv. (If the X-rays are done in your office, there is no need to note the location.) HOW RECORDS ARRIVE X-rays may arrive by mail or email; they may be brought in by a patient or another doctor; they may be left on your doorstep; a doctor may walk in with them under his or her arm. Set up a system so that incoming X-rays that need the doctor's attention will appear on his or her screen or desk first thing in the morning. 14 INCOMING RECORDS Several kinds of X-rays might arrive: * * * * * * * * Beginning survey Progress X-rays Dental periapical X-rays Individual panogram CBCT on a disk or download from the cloud (is a reader included?) TMJ series Transfer patient records Second opinion records For each of these incoming X-rays, you might have slightly different instructions for the team member on how to handle the delivery. They may simply need to be returned to your files, or they may arrive as an unannounced delivery with no note, be a request for immediate information from a doctor or the patient file, or an X-ray from an attorney. Your team members should know the difference between these types of records, and whether the DR needs to see them or not. OUTGOING RECORDS All patient records (X-rays, models, and written records) are the property of the doctor. However, the patient has the right to receive a copy of these records or to have copies of these records sent to other professionals. Charges for reproduction may be appropriate. If litigation might be involved, you can withhold records under the advice of your attorney. You may be asking for trouble if you refuse to forward copies of records - even if the patient has not yet paid for them - as this could be construed PCSO BULLETIN * SPRING 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2014

A Magical, Spooky, International, Educational Time in Anaheim
New Columns
View From The Top: President’s Perspective
AAO Council on Scientific Affairs (COSA) Report
PCSO BUSINESS
AAO Trustee Report
ABO Update
AAOF REPORT
COMPONENT REPORTS
PCSO AT A GLANCE
How To Save a PCSO Bulletin Article as a .PDF File
The Importance of Healing
Incoming and Outgoing Radiographs
Resident Spotlight: A.T. Still University, Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health Postgraduate Orthodontic Program
Use of the XBOW™ Appliance Vs. the FORSUS™ Appliance for Class II Correction
Advanced Research Avenues at the Roseman University of Health Sciences Orthodontic Program
Dr. Gerald Nelson
CASE REPORT PRE-TREATMENT
The Interdisciplinary Team: Managing Patients with Impacted or Ectopically Positioned Teeth
Miniplate Anchorage for Midface Protraction in Class III Patients and Molar Distalization in Class II Malocclusions
Achieving Financial Independence: A New and Younger Members Featured Lecture
The Role of Orthodontics in Trauma Management
CASE REPORT POST-TREATMENT
Converting a Tube

Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Spring 2014