Deck 4: Legal and Ethical Issues in the Dental Business Office

Question 1

Ethics is a branch of philosophy and is a systematic, intellectual approach to standards of behavior. Ethics is legislated by the government.

A) The first statement is true and the second statement is false.
B) The first statement is false and the second statement is true.
C) Both statements are true.
D) Both statements are false.

Answer 1

The first statement is true and the second statement is false.

Question 2

The Good Samaritan Law offers incentives for healthcare providers to provide medical assistance to injured persons without the fear of potential litigation except under which of the following circumstances?

A) Protection for a negligent healthcare provider who is being compensated for services
B) Immunity for acts performed by a person who renders care in an emergency situation
C) When the provider is solely interested in providing care in a safe manner, with no intent to do bodily harm

Answer 2

Protection for a negligent healthcare provider who is being compensated for services

Question 3

You are summoned to provide firsthand knowledge as testimony in a lawsuit against the dental practice. What would you be in this case?

A) Defendant
B) Plaintiff
C) Fact witness
D) Expert witness

Answer 3

Fact witness

Question 4

Which of the following actions are common examples of negligent acts in a dental office?

A) Mistaken identity
B) Defects in equipment
C) Failure to communicate
D) Disease transmission
E) All of the above

Question 5

A dentist moves to another state without informing his or her patients and fails to care for patients still in need of care and attention. This action is referred to as:

A) fraud.
B) abandonment.
C) negligence.
D) assault and battery.

Question 6

An administrative assistant records information on a patient's clinical record that is dictated by the dentist after treatment is complete. Later, litigation is brought against the dentist for the rendered treatment. The administrative assistant is asked to testify. Which of the following is true?

A) The administrative assistant is an expert witness.
B) The administrative assistant is an eyewitness.
C) The administrative assistant can testify only to what she or he was told to write in the record.

Question 7

A consent form may be signed by all of the following except the:

A) parent.
B) adult patient.
C) minor patient.
D) legal guardian.

Question 8

An expert witness has scientific knowledge and experience and can testify about the normal or abnormal conditions in a case. A fact witness records data on the record, regardless of whether she or he observed the activity in question.

A) The first statement is true and the second statement is false.
B) The first statement is false and the second statement is true.
C) Both statements are true.
D) Both statements are false.

Question 9

Which of the following sets guidelines for dental licensure and identifies the criteria by which this license may be revoked or suspended?

A) American Dental Association
B) State board of dentistry
C) Dental Assisting National Board
D) State dental practice act

Question 10

The act of doing something that a reasonably prudent person would not do or not doing something that a reasonably prudent person would do is:

A) fraud.
B) abandonment.
C) negligence.
D) defamation of character.

Question 11

A consent form is recommended for all except which of the following types of treatment?

A) Extractions
B) Endodontics
C) Periodontal surgery
D) Examination

Question 12

A patient contacts the office and complains about the fee that was billed for a porcelain-fused-to-metal crown. He states that no one informed him what the fee was going to be. The dentist claims that her fees are standard and that the patient should have expected to pay the fee without being told ahead of time. Which of the following statements applies to this situation?

A) The assistant should explain to the patient that it is a standard fee for a crown and that he is obligated to pay it.
B) The dentist should have informed the patient prior to treatment what the fee was going to be.
C) The patient should not complain if the dentist explains that the fee is standard for the community.

Question 13

Direct supervision in most states refers to the dentist being physically present in the office and assigning a task to a dental assistant or dental hygienist for a patient of record. The dentist examines the patient prior to and directly after the treatment is rendered by the assistant or hygienist.

A) The first statement is true and the second statement is false.
B) The first statement is false and the second statement is true.
C) Both statements are true.
D) Both statements are false.

Question 14

A clinical dental assistant is hired in the practice. The dentist indicates that this person is to place an intracoronal provisional restoration. The person knows how to perform the task but does not yet have the RDA credential required to perform the specific intraoral task. What should you suggest to her when she asks you what she should do?

A) Do what the dentist told her to do.
B) Perform the task now but later tell the dentist that she does not have the appropriate credential.
C) Inform the dentist that she does not yet have the appropriate credential to perform the task.
D) Perform the task with the self-assurance that she will soon have her credential.

Question 15

Which of the following are the two most common violations of computer ethics in the dental office?

A) Software theft and piracy
B) Hardware theft and piracy
C) License burning and software theft
D) Copyright violations and piracy

Question 16

The group responsible for establishing regulations that govern the practice of dentistry within a state is the:

A) American Dental Association.
B) Dental Assisting National Board.
C) Commission on Dental Accreditation.
D) state board of dentistry.

Question 17

A patient has insurance coverage from July 1 of the last year until June 30 of the current year, after which the patient no longer receives this benefit. The patient had a maximum benefit coverage of $1200. For the year-end to date, the patient used only $450 of the benefit. Toward the end of June, it is determined that the patient needs to have a bridge, but the work cannot be completed before July 1. The patient is informed of the fee for the bridge. The patient insists that since she has over $700 of unused balance from her insurance, the dentist should change the date of service to ensure insurance coverage. What would the dentist be committing if he does this?

A) Abandonment
B) Breach of contract
C) Fraud
D) Negligence

Question 18

An insurance company requests verification of a patient's birth date and complete name. A copy of the patient's entire record is sent to the company, including a health history that indicates evidence of HIV infection. This action may be considered:

A) fraud.
B) invasion of privacy.
C) assault and battery.
D) defamation of character.

Question 19

With the consent of the dentist, who is most likely to assume responsibility for scheduling risk-management seminars?

A) Dental hygienist
B) Dental administrative assistant
C) Clinical dental assistant
D) Dental laboratory technician

Question 20

Which of the following is not an element of informed consent?

A) Consent must be given freely.
B) Treatment and diagnosis must be described in an understandable language.
C) The dentist must present a single treatment plan with no alternatives.
D) The patient has a right to ask questions and have them answered.

Question 21

A(n) ___ is summoned to provide an opinion as to whether the dental care given met standards.

A) defendant
B) plaintiff
C) fact witness
D) expert witness

Question 22

When making an ethical decision, it is wise to remember that there is no right way to do a wrong thing.

Question 23

A patient is consistently late and fails to keep appointments without advance notice to the practice. The dentist gets fed up and decides not to treat the patient anymore. What charges could be brought against the dentist?

A) Abandonment
B) Assault and battery
C) Invasion of privacy
D) Criminal law

Question 24

When a dentist sits down and the patient opens his or her mouth, what type of consent does this indicate?

A) Informed
B) Implied
C) Carte blanche
D) Expressed

Question 25

A contract that can be written or verbal and that describes specifically what each party in the contract will do is called:

A) informed consent.
B) an expressed contract.
C) breach of contract.
D) noncompliance.

Question 26

Law can be divided into two classifications-civil and criminal.

Question 27

Implied consent or duties flow automatically from the relationship of the patient and the dental healthcare worker.

Question 28

If found guilty of a criminal complaint, the defendant is only required to pay for damages.

Question 29

A dentist moves out of the area and fails to inform her patients. The result of this action is referred to as:

A) malpractice.
B) abandonment.
C) assault and battery.
D) criminal law.

Question 30

The dentist and the dental team members have the responsibility and duty to perform due care in treating all patients. Failure to do this is called:

A) assault.
B) abandonment.
C) malpractice.
D) noncompliance.

Question 31

The area that defines moral judgment is:

A) civil law.
B) criminal law.
C) common law.
D) ethics.

Question 32

When care is given without intent to do bodily harm and without being compensated for the care, it is referred to as:

A) the Americans with Disabilities Act.
B) compliance.
C) the Doctrine of Respondent Superior.
D) the Good Samaritan Act.