Dental care is an essential element of an individual’s health and well-being. Licensed dental hygienists provide critical dental care to patients. Whether treating the developing teeth and gums of children or providing vital oral healthcare to adults, dental hygienists deliver preventive care and treatment to patients of all ages. In many cases, dental hygienists use their calm, consistent bedside manner to ease patient anxiety while they perform wide-ranging responsibilities, from conducting preliminary dental exams to taking dental x-rays and charting cavities.
For a licensed dental hygienist, it can be surprising and frustrating to learn a complaint has been made against you. After all, you need your license to work, and any accusation of misconduct against your license puts your ability to work at risk.
At the LLF National Law Firm, we defend dental hygienists and other medical and health care professionals against accusations of professional misconduct. Our team of experienced attorneys can partner with you to challenge any allegation made against you. To discuss your case with our Professional License Defense Team, call our offices at 888-535-3686 or complete a confidential online form.
The District of Columbia’s Board of Dentistry
In the District of Columbia, the Health Regulation and Licensing Administration (HRLA) and its Board of Dentistry (the Board) are responsible for the licensing, oversight, and discipline of dental professionals, including dental hygienists.
The Board consists of seven members, who must include:
- Five licensed dentists
- One licensed dental hygienist
- One consumer
The Health Occupations Revision Act (HORA) and the Municipal Regulations for Dental Hygienists prescribe the practice of dental hygiene, including the scope of practice and standards of professional conduct for dental hygienists in the District of Columbia.
Common Allegations in Complaints Made Against Dental Hygienists in Washington, DC
The District of Columbia’s statutes and rules create the regulatory framework in which licensed medical professionals, including dental hygienists, practice. These standards are intended to protect the public from providers acting unethically, dangerously, inappropriately, or deceptively.
In DC, dental hygienists may be disciplined for misconduct, including violations such as:
- Obtaining or trying to obtain a license through fraud or deception
- Using a license for fraudulent or deceptive purposes
- Being convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude. Under Washington, DC’s law, a crime of moral turpitude offends or violates the generally accepted moral code, involves vile or depraved conduct that undermines the duties an individual owes to others, or is contrary to justice, honesty, and modesty
- Demonstrating professional or mental incompetence or physical incapability
- Becoming addicted to or habitually abusing drugs
- Providing or attempting to provide professional services while under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Making or filing a false health report or record
- Failing to file or record any medical report as required by law
- Impeding or obstructing the filing or recording of a report required by law
- Willfully misrepresenting treatment
- Prescribing, dispensing, or administering drugs without authorization
- Failing to conform to standards of acceptable conduct and prevailing practice
- Disregarding the health, welfare, or safety of a patient, even if the patient is not actually injured
Additionally, DC law prohibits dental hygienists from sexually harassing patients or clients and from having inappropriate sexual relationships with patients or former patients
For a dental hygienist, a complaint against your license may feel like an attack against you and your livelihood. It makes sense to feel overwhelmed, angry, or scared. You may want to ignore the complaint, in hopes that it will disappear.
Don’t let fear or uncertainty determine your response. Instead, partner with the experienced license defense attorneys at the LLF National Law Firm. Our attorneys can help bring order to the complexity and uncertainty of a disciplinary complaint, investigation, and hearing. Let our Professional License Defense Team help you defend and protect your dental hygienist license.
The Stakes Are High for Dental Hygienists Navigating Professional License Disciplinary Proceedings
The license disciplinary process in Washington, DC, is complex and adversarial. The HRLA and the Board are not concerned about you, your work, or your family’s financial well-being. There is no presumption of innocence. To protect your license, you must be willing to build a robust defense team. The LLF National Law Firm Professional Defense Team understands that the stakes are high, and we are ready to fight on your behalf.
If you work as a dental hygienist in the District of Columbia, you need a license. An adverse disciplinary decision or sanction may end your current employment and career. It may become difficult to find new opportunities in your chosen profession. If you can’t work, your financial security may be in jeopardy. As a result, any accusation of misconduct made against you must be taken seriously.
Additionally, the license disciplinary process often disrupts the support systems and personal lives of the accused. Relationships with loved ones may suffer under the stress of an ongoing investigation, the contentious nature of an adversarial hearing, and the uncertainty of its outcome.
An allegation of misconduct alone can destroy an otherwise spotless reputation. Many licensed professionals discover that a disciplinary investigation leads to isolation and estrangement from mentors, employers, and colleagues.
Don’t let a complaint against your license derail your career and undermine your life. The LLF National Law Firm can partner with you to protect your license and livelihood.
The License Disciplinary Process in Washington, DC
In the District of Columbia, complaints against medical professionals, including dental hygienists, are investigated by HRLA on behalf of the Board.
The Complaint
The Board accepts complaints by mail or fax and provides a fillable complaint form to facilitate the process. Complaints about unlicensed practice should be addressed to the Supervisory Investigator.
Importantly, anyone can submit a complaint against a dental hygienist. Patients, colleagues, co-workers, insurers, and employers are frequently the source of complaints.
The Board does not accept anonymous complaints, and complaints are made available to the accused licensee.
The Investigation
Complaints filed with the Board are investigated by HRLA. An HRLA investigator will conduct witness interviews and collect evidence about the alleged misconduct.
The Consent Order
The Board may resolve disciplinary matters through informal negotiations and consent orders. Our Professional License Defense Team knows that a favorable resolution, particularly one achieved early during the process, can be highly desired by accused licensees.
An accused licensee may avoid a formal disciplinary hearing by agreeing to a consent order. In most settlements, the accused licensee admits to a violation and agrees to a sanction in return for avoiding the uncertainty of a formal hearing and sanction. Before signing any consent order or settlement agreement, a licensee must understand all of its terms, including its impact on their ability to practice. If you are considering a consent order, make sure you understand all of its terms, including how your practice may be restricted, before signing.
The LLF National Law Firm believes in approaching all negotiations with a clear understanding of the accused licensee’s priorities. Our attorneys can work to resolve a disciplinary complaint and advocate for you during consent order negotiations. We will review the terms of any agreement with you, answer your questions, and help ensure you understand the nuances of any settlement.
The Formal Hearing
If an informal resolution or consent order is not possible, the disciplinary process will proceed to a formal hearing. During the hearing, counsel may represent the accused licensee. The hearing provides an opportunity for the accused to examine witnesses and present evidence to demonstrate that no misconduct occurred and discipline is unwarranted.
The Board’s Determination
If the Board determines that misconduct occurred, a sanction may be imposed. Possible sanctions include:
- A formal reprimand
- Probation, during which the dental hygienist may practice, but only under supervision
- License suspension or revocation
- Required continuing education courses
- Civil penalties
In the event of an adverse determination, the Board’s final decision may be appealed to the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. The grounds for an appeal are limited, and filings are time sensitive. If you have been sanctioned by the Board, contact the LLF National Law Firm immediately so that our experienced professional license defense attorneys can review your case and identify opportunities for appeal or reinstatement.
Your education and experience are the foundation for your dental hygiene practice. You are trained to care for patients, not navigate the complexities of Washington, DC’s disciplinary hearings. At the LLF National Law Firm, we can help you navigate disciplinary proceedings so that you can concentrate on your patients and your career.
Your License. Our Priority.
With your license and livelihood on the line, you need the LLF National Firm in your corner, fighting for you and your future. When you partner with our experienced Professional License Defense Team, we can develop a comprehensive license defense strategy and:
- Prepare you for an interview with an investigator or to testify as part of a formal hearing. Every interaction you have with the Board or its representatives should be approached carefully and with intention.
- Investigators may use careless and imprecise statements against you during disciplinary proceedings. Your statements can have a significant impact on the investigation, any consent decree, and the hearing. By thoughtfully preparing for any interaction with the Board or its representatives, you help ensure your statements are clear, well-reasoned, and easy for investigators and adjudicators to understand.
- Investigate the claims against you and identify mitigating evidence and exonerating witnesses. Investigators are not neutral, third parties with unlimited resources. Even the best and most unbiased investigator can miss an essential fact or overlook an important mitigating witness.
- The LLF National Law Firm Team understands the complexity of your practice, and we will diligently search for relevant evidence and witnesses in support of your case.
- Advocate on your behalf during negotiations for a consent order and ensure that you understand the terms of any agreement. Consent orders should be carefully drafted with your best interests in mind. Additionally, you must understand the nuances of your settlement, including any limitations on your ability to practice dental hygiene, before agreeing to the order.
- Keep in mind that the failure to comply with an agreed-upon consent order can be problematic and lead to new or renewed disciplinary procedures. Our experienced attorneys will collaborate with you throughout any negotiations.
- Represent you during a formal hearing. We can apply their knowledge of DC law, regulations, and rules of procedure to advocate on your behalf. During the proceeding, we can help tell your story to the Board and ensure relevant evidence, testimony, and legal arguments are heard and included in the record.
- Develop an appeal or license reinstatement strategy, if appropriate. Appeals require strict diligence and adherence to deadlines to maximize the chance of success.
Let our Professional License Defense Team serve as your legal advisors, applying our knowledge of Washington, DC’s laws, regulations, and administrative practice to advocate on your behalf during disciplinary investigations and hearings.
In the District of Columbia, license disciplinary investigations and hearings can be long and arduous, and each step requires thoughtful attention. A missed deadline may limit your rights, and a careless statement can be used as evidence against you, treated as an admission of misconduct, or undermine your defense strategy.
It is never too late to discuss your case with a member of the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team.
Let the LLF National Law Firm Protect Your License in Washington, DC
At the LLF National Law Firm, we know your work is both a profession and a calling. You play an essential role in delivering quality, responsive dental care to your patients. Your patients need your knowledge and expertise, and you need your license to provide this critical care.
If you discover that a professional misconduct complaint has been filed against you, call our Professional License Defense Team. Let our experienced attorneys review your case, identify your options, and develop a comprehensive response to any allegation against you. Our attorneys help dental hygienists challenge complaints and navigate misconduct investigations, hearings, and sanctions.
Don’t let a license complaint, investigation, or hearing jeopardize your license or keep you from your patients. It is never too late to call the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team. To partner with our experienced attorneys, contact our offices at 888-535-3686 or online.