Dentist License Defense in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area

If you are a dentist working anywhere in the Cincinnati Tri-State area, you know the challenges you face on a day-to-day basis – caring for patients, operating your practice, and making sure you follow the requirements of whichever state’s dental board is responsible for your area. You’ve worked very hard for many years to get to where you are as a licensed dentist, and as a result, likely enjoy an income that is much higher than most.

All of this means that if you are notified that someone has filed a misconduct complaint against you with your state’s dental board, you need to take it seriously. Any public discipline can affect your ability to attract patients, and if your license is suspended or revoked, it could be devastating to your future. Your best strategy when faced with a misconduct complaint is to get help – help from an attorney who practices in this specific area, someone who is part of the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team. To learn more about how we can help protect your practice and your future, call us at 888.535.3686 or fill out our online contact form, and we will schedule a confidential consultation so you can tell us about your case.

Dentists in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area

With an area that includes not only Cincinnati and neighboring Ohio suburbs but also parts of Kentucky and Indiana as well, the Cincinnati Tri-State Area is a vibrant place to live and work. Whether your practice is in Cincinnati itself, or neighboring towns such as Hamilton, Middletown, or Fairfield in Ohio, Florence just across the Ohio River in Kentucky, or Lawrenceburg or Greendale in Indiana, as a licensed dentist, you are likely to enjoy an annual income that is substantially above the average. Indeed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, dentists in the Cincinnati area make more than three times the average median annual wage of all professions that the BLS tracks.

That is not to say you don’t face challenges as a dentist – as a health care professional, it is heavily regulated, and the stress of maintaining a practice and caring for patients can be significant. That stress only increases, however, if you are notified that someone has filed a misconduct complaint against you. Losing your ability to work as a dentist means having to find some other way to match your present income – or face the prospect of making significantly less. This is why it is so important to take steps to defend yourself and protect your license as soon as you learn that someone has filed a misconduct complaint against you.

To be clear, not every misconduct complaint ends with the dentist being suspended or having their license revoked. Most outcomes are less serious. But any public discipline stays on your record and can be seen by anybody who takes the time to search on the websites of the state board you are licensed under. Each state has its own license lookup webpage, operated by or through the appropriate licensing agency. In Ohio, that is the State Dental Board. In Kentucky, it’s the Board of Dentistry. And in Indiana, it’s the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency.

With dentistry being a competitive profession, patients have a choice when it comes to who will be providing their dental care. If your record includes any kind of public discipline, it can result in patients choosing another dentist, one who has not been disciplined by the relevant licensing board.

This is why it is important to get help as soon as you know that a misconduct complaint has been filed against you. Fortunately, the experienced attorneys from the LLF National Law Firm Professional License Defense Team know what to do in these stressful situations. We regularly help dentists and other licensed professionals who find themselves accused of misconduct. When you work with us, you’ll be working with attorneys who know what steps need to be taken to protect your rights and defend your license. You won’t have to worry about missing deadlines or taking the proper steps to defend yourself – you’ll have someone by your side who can make sure you are being protected from start to finish.

Disciplinary Actions Against Dentists in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area

No matter where your dental practice is in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area – the Queen City itself, nearby suburbs such as Sharonville, Blue Ash, or Newtown, across the river in Covington, Kentucky, or over in Greendale or Lawrenceburg in Indiana – you can be accused by anybody of misconduct. While most misconduct complaints come from patients or their family members, there is nothing to stop anybody from filing a misconduct complaint against you. Each state licensing agency – Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana – maintains its own complaint reporting webpage, so that all anyone has to do is get on their computer or mobile phone and start the complaint process. 

Note that not every complaint will result in an investigation or action taken against the dentist. State licensing boards have limited jurisdiction, meaning that they don’t always have the power to take action when someone complains. For example, a complaint that a dentist or staff member was rude to a patient is probably not something that the licensing board will take action against, because rudeness typically does not impact patient safety, and the focus of most board discipline is on conduct that can harm patients. Similarly, an ordinary billing dispute where there is no suggestion of fraud may not be pursued.

Each state in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area has its own set of laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that apply when a misconduct complaint is filed against a dentist. That said, there are general similarities that apply no matter what state you’re licensed in.

Assuming the complaint alleges misconduct that the dental board regulates, the board will appoint an investigator to look into the allegations. In addition, the dentist will be notified that a misconduct complaint has been made against them, and there may be an opportunity for the dentist to respond to the allegations.

This response can be very important. A detailed and comprehensive response that addresses each allegation and provides either an explanation for the alleged misconduct or evidence that the misconduct did not take place can be a powerful document that can have a positive impact on the dentist’s defense.

This is where the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can provide significant help. We regularly prepare these kinds of responses for our professional license clients all across the country. Our attorneys know the arguments and evidence that can resonate with both investigators and with licensing boards. In other words, this is the best time to contact us and get us involved in your case – at the early stages, when the work we do on your behalf can be leveraged to help you throughout the entire process. 

While each of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana has specific requirements for dentists, they are similar in that they all prioritize patient health and well-being. As a result, the types of misconduct that a dentist can be disciplined for are essentially the same in each state. These can include:

• Improperly prescribing or administering drugs, particularly pain-relief medication

• Making fraudulent statements in connection with applying for or renewing a dental license

• Being convicted of certain crimes, particularly felonies or serious misdemeanors

• Allowing unlicensed personnel to provide dental care

• Failing to stay current with continuing education requirements

• Engaging in insurance or Medicare/Medicaid fraud

• Maintaining an unsanitary examination or treatment area

• Failing to observe radiation protection protocols

• Engaging in lewd or immoral conduct, including sexual assault or entering into a sexual relationship with a patient

• Practicing dentistry while under the influence of alcohol or drugs

In addition, each state requires dentists to follow that state’s laws that apply to the practice of dentistry, and a violation of any of those laws can result in disciplinary action.

Investigations can typically take months and will almost always include an interview with the dentist who has been accused of misconduct. In addition, the investigator may interview others who may have relevant information, including the person who filed the complaint, but also co-workers and family members of the patient if the matter relates to a specific patient. The investigator may ask for or subpoena dental records as well as emails, texts, and other messages that may relate to the matter.

This can, of course, be a burden on you – not only mentally, but in terms of the time you devote to responding to information requests. If you are working with one of the experienced members of the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team, much of this burden can be lifted off your shoulders. Our attorneys regularly help collect and coordinate information requested by board investigators, and we also know what rights you have to that information and can take steps to protect you in the event the investigator asks for something they’re not entitled to.

The results of the investigation are typically used by the appropriate licensing board to decide what steps to take next. In some cases, the matter may be dismissed. In others, the board may decide that a non-public warning or letter to the dentist is sufficient; this is usually not considered a disciplinary step, and will not show up when your public license information is searched. Finally, the board may move forward with imposing sanctions against the dentist. This is another stage where the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can help.

Help During Disciplinary Investigations

As you may have guessed, the investigation stage is a very important part of the disciplinary process. The information collected during this stage is what the board will use to decide whether or not to impose sanctions on the accused dentist. This is also where the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team can be very helpful.

For instance, most of us do not have experience being interviewed by someone whose job it is to uncover information that can be used against us. Being interviewed by the investigator in a dental discipline case can be very stressful. But it is also something you can prepare for.

Your attorney can go over with you the types of questions you can expect to get from the investigator during your interview. You can even practice answering them. Doing it properly takes some work – you need to listen closely to the question. Make sure you understand exactly what is being asked. Think about your answer before you start speaking, and make sure it addresses the question that you’ve been asked. Then answer the question.

You also have the right to ask your own questions – if you don’t understand what the investigator is asking, you can ask them to clarify it so you do. You do not want to answer a question you don’t fully understand, because that can lead to an unclear record that will complicate your case. These are techniques you can practice ahead of time with your attorney.

In addition, your attorney can be with you when you’re interviewed. We can act as a backup, making sure that the questions the investigator asks are fair and that your answers don’t leave out any information, particularly information that can help your case.

After the Investigation

If the Board decides to move forward with disciplinary proceedings against you after the investigation, it may propose certain sanctions as part of its complaint process. This is the point where many cases are settled. At the LLF National Law Firm, our Professional License Defense Team regularly negotiates with licensing boards to resolve disciplinary matters by way of consent agreements. We understand the concerns that both our professional clients and the licensing boards have, and we can often negotiate an agreement that provides a more favorable outcome for our client than what the board originally proposed.

While most cases settle, some go to a formal hearing. Each of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana has its own set of hearing procedures. Generally, witnesses will give testimony and can be cross-examined. Other evidence will be introduced and considered by the hearing panel. And at some point, the licensing board will decide whether to sanction the dentist based on the outcome of the hearing. If the decision is not in the dentist’s favor, the board will also impose the sanction.

Potential Outcomes

In addition to dismissing the matter – obviously the best outcome from the dentist’s perspective – the state licensing boards have a wide range of disciplinary options. These typically include:

• A warning letter that may not be public or considered formal discipline

• Requiring the dentist to take remedial courses on specific topics

• Referring the dentist to treatment for substance abuse

• Restricting the scope of the dentist’s practice

• Placing the dentist on probation, often with other requirements such as remedial education

• Suspending the dentist’s license, sometimes with other requirements, such as with probation

• Revoking the dentist’s license

• While suspension and revocation are the most severe sanctions, any public sanction becomes part of the dentist’s permanent record and will be viewable by the public for years to come.

The LLF National Law Firm Can Defend Your Dental License in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area

If you are practicing dentistry in the Cincinnati Tri-State Area and are notified that a misconduct complaint has been filed against you, contact the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team for help. Our experienced attorneys understand the laws, regulations, rules, and procedures that apply in dental misconduct cases in Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana – as well as the rest of the country. We regularly defend professionals, including dentists, who find themselves accused of misconduct, and we know how to protect your rights and defend your license from start to finish.

This is not something you should try to take on for yourself. Your dental license is your most important personal asset, and when it is threatened by a misconduct complaint, you need to take effective steps to protect it. Call the LLF National Law Firm’s Professional License Defense Team today at 888.535.3686, or contact us online. Let us schedule a confidential consultation with you where you can tell us about the allegations you are facing, and we can explain how we will help.