Assault at school
From: Jeremy Rourke To: ROOTS Sent: Saturday, June 09, 2007 6:28 AM Subject: [roots] Assault at school Child patient comes in with mother with Class II fracture of upper right central Would I mind waiting for payment as the mother of the bully has agreed to pay I explain that my fee of $220 for 524 and 578 will only cover the immediate semi-permanent restoration and that if the nerve dies the boy will need an RCT and crown and replacement of the crowns and that over his lifetime this could reach $8000 to $10000 in today's dollar terms Mum cries floods of tears She informs me the headmaster "says" he recorded the incident and I suggest she report the assault at the police station and get an incident number I have suggested not accepting payment from the bully's mother yet and not signing a deed of release yet. Now she is consulting a solicitor and I may need to write a report Has anyone done this before. I'll do a pulp test in a few weeks when the initial shock has worn off and the tooth pulp may have become necrotic. How long should a crown last ( 12 to 15 years is my guesstimate) If the tooth needs an RCT then what is the % chance it will eventually need to be replaced by an implant - Dr. Jeremy H. Rourke Dear Jeremy, The numbers in Israel are much lower. They say any dental work last between 5.5-7 years tops. This includes crowns - especialy PFM. I would suggest you look at your local dental court decision - most of this is covered in almost every lawsuit, so just find one - Thomas Jeremy, My suggestion is NEVER WORK ON A KID WITHOUT GETTING YOUR REIMBURSEMENT AT THE TIME OF THE PROCEDURE. First, I've had Moms who come in, we do the work, and then tell us "Dad's responsible" and trying to get payment becomes a PIA.....just don't do it....your stepping into a black hole. Second, this is between YOU and the Guardian, in this case MOM....now if you want to do the proceudre and donate your services...great...expecting to collect from a third party....good luck...and stay out of it. Third, the report: I've written lots of them...you should be specific about what you found (like lip abrasions) and hopefully you did both Maxillary and Mandibular radiographs, testing and exam....the report will need to specifiy what's been done and the potential for what future costs, based on today's techology and costs of providing those services. I recommend you don't accept payment from the "bully's mother".....it's between the "bully's mother" and the patients mom. - Joey D This is a very valuable advice from Joseph, In cases like this I always tell the patient she has to pay me directly and if she collects the money from the third party that is her bussiness. - Thomas I have written reports before if that is your question. Dental Clinics of North America April 1987 Insurance Management has a Chapter - The Dentist's Role in the Insurance-Legal Claims Process by Howard Hoffman pgs 249-256 I have used his outline of: Hx CC Objective Findings Radiographic Findings Dx Tx Rendered Tx Proposed Prognosis Causation and Opinion Summary I have kept my electronic versions of this and use them as templates. Under opinion I have mentioned that the work done now is probationary and that it will have a limited life span and that there may be several different times of replacement in different ways in the lifetime of the victim. I have also suggested a trust for this reason. I have charged a reasonable fee for writing this report. I did not have trouble collecting fees - they may not have come in right away but the accounts were clear within a reasonable time. Hope this is helpful Cheers - Bob I would also add AFTER DX Tx Options (told to the patient) - Joey D
