Your First Call After a Demand Letter Isn't to the Patient

A patient's demand letter arrives for $40,000. What do you do first? Dr. Allison House walks through it.

In Episode 117 of The Authentic Dentist, Shawn Zajas sits down with Dr. Allison House to talk about what happens after an extraction and bone graft leads to a demand letter for an ER bill, a refund, and pain and suffering. This is a general professional perspective, not legal advice. For your own situation, contact your malpractice carrier or an attorney.

EPISODE OVERVIEW

Dr. House describes the spiral a dentist goes through when a letter like this arrives: the fear of being a bad dentist and the urge to see the patient as the villain. Her answer is that we are human, and complications happen even if you do everything perfectly. Calm down first, leave your notes alone (you may add that the patient called), and call your malpractice carrier, who will investigate for you.

She also shares how the oversight can be on the patient's side, such as an unreported blood thinner, tells the story of an anonymous patient whose ER visit uncovered cancer unrelated to the dentistry, and describes the one money-grab demand she has seen in 24 years, which her carrier answered with a strongly worded letter.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Complications happen even if you do everything perfectly
• First, calm down and remember you are a doctor
• Do not touch your notes; you may add that the patient called
• Call your malpractice carrier. That is why you pay them
• The patient is not necessarily crazy: they are scared and do not know what happened
• Do not call the patient yourself; get information first

ABOUT THE HOSTS

Dr. Allison House leads House Dental in Phoenix, Arizona, where she practices comprehensive, diagnostic-first dentistry for complex cases. Shawn Zajas helps people find what is truest in them and then build it; he hosts Wholehearted with Shawn Zajas and helps founders turn their podcast into a marketing engine. Learn more at shawnzajas.com.