Practice Management Insider: Pregnancy testing before sedation could manage risk

Dear Practice Management Insider,

Implementing pregnancy testing before dental procedures that involve the use of intravenous sedation could help manage practice risk.

A recent study reviewed the practice of urine pregnancy testing at an outpatient oral and maxillofacial surgery clinic. The clinic spent $352 on pregnancy tests during a 22-month time period and identified pregnancy in about 3% of patients.

The cost of testing was well worth it to the clinic because it helped to refer women to prenatal care and limit surgeon liability. Read more details about the program in this edition's Insider Exclusive.

If you're interested in risk management, you don't want to miss two other must-read articles in the Practice Management Community. One covers the warning signs of high-risk patients, and the other details your legal rights when employees refuse to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

Did you know as much as $13 billion of the $136 billion people in the U.S. spend annually on dental care is lost to dental fraud? Kaiser Health News investigated some of the tactics used by dentists to unethically boost their bottom lines.

We may be halfway through the year, but it's not too late to think about the Code on Dental Procedures and Nomenclature (CDT Code). More than two dozen new codes launched in 2021. Dr. James Anderson broke down five of the most notable new codes and detailed why it's important for every practice to have an updated codebook every year.

Finally, we launched a new practice management-focused video series this week. Dental Practice Made Simple features a quick, weekly tip to help you learn how to build high-powered systems for practice success. The first episode is all about reactivating patients.

I hope the tips and news in the Practice Management Community help your practice finish the first half of the year strong and ready to thrive in Q3.