Progress Note Signature

[drjorgel1]

CAN YOU SET OD TO HAVE A SIGNATURE OF A PROVIDER AS DEFAULT , SO WE DON'T HAVE TO SIGN EVERY PROCEDURE?

[Hersheydmd]

That would defeat the purpose of the signature.

[drjorgel1]

That will be true for practices with different providers, hygienist . My case is a solo practice with no hygienist, so that said i am the only one with signature in progress notes.

[Jorgebon]

I don't think it would be legal to have the signature appear automatically. The purpose of the signature is to certify that you agree with what the progress note says after having read it and edited it.

[jordansparks]

I practiced for 10 years and never signed a single procedure. Are you trying to follow a state law that we didn't have to deal with in Oregon?

[Hersheydmd]

I practiced for 10 years and never signed a single procedure. Are you trying to follow a state law that we didn't have to deal with in Oregon?

Every practice management or risk management seminar I've been to here in NY says that you need to sign your electronic notes. In the old days of writing your notes by hand it didn't matter because your handwriting was identifiable.

[Rickliftig]

I practiced for 10 years and never signed a single procedure. Are you trying to follow a state law that we didn't have to deal with in Oregon?

Every practice management or risk management seminar I've been to here in NY says that you need to sign your electronic notes. In the old days of writing your notes by hand it didn't matter because your handwriting was identifiable.

Rob - pardon a little thread drift here. I have heard the same and yet I remember experts telling us we would need locked cabinets to comply with HIPAA, we would kill the pulp by acid etching, and that there was a new smart amalgamator that we all needed to purchase (that was Gordo himself).

Over the years, I have begun to really wonder about the 'experts' in our field. Many are either paid to promote certain products or have their own interests at heart. Plus, if you tell a group of doctors that they don't have to do anything special or that air-drying the bonding agent for an extra twenty seconds doesn't change a darn thing at the five year mark, well that sort of eliminates the need for your expertise.

From the risk mgmt seminars I have been to - if there is any evidence of tampering you are dead meat. You are better off to have no progress notes than tampered ones. Ultimately, the outcome of a court case will depend heavily on tort laws in a state, the egregiousness (is that a word?) of the tort and the willingness of the parties to settle.

That being said, we have the pads and we sign 'em.

Ok - rant off -had to vent.

best,

Rick

[Tom Zaccaria]

What I see this as is 'Weenie World'.

Dentists are weenies always worried about the smallest nonsense. Air dry, don't extract the day before a holiday, don't do this or don't do that because.
Bottom line is ...If they want to getchya, they will getchya.
Doesn't matter, signed or unsigned.

Personally we don't sign anything except the pts health history or a OD generated Rx.

drtmz