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Review 4/17/2010
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I filed a complaint with the California Dental Association (CDA) after being stonewalled by a periodontist about the results of a failed dental procedure. As part of my complaint, I raised three questions that I had asked Dr. Dornan (filed on this website as a separate compliant) to answer, but the dentaL association was not able to get any of the these three questions answered to tell me if any of the following applied:
1) Application of GEM 21 could not be applied due to conditions at that time only, or
2) My condition precludes the use of GEM 21 (or possibly any other method of bone augmentation) “forever” due to the conditions stated by Dr. Dornan.
3) Follow-up treatment is still needed to resolve the above conditions
The CDA letter concluding their investigation stated the following:
"The committee is unable to address your complaint that an explanation to you or your dentist was not provided, as communications issues are not within the purview of peer review. The purpose of the peer review system is to investigate complaints concerning the quality and/or appropriateness of dental treatment. However, by copy of this letter, Dr. Dornan has been advised of your concerns.” (6 months later Dr. Dornan still had not answered my questions)
The peer review process was a waste of time and accomplished nothing whatsoever. One would think that, as a health care provider, Dr. Dornan would have the courtesy to take time to answer my questions, after over 3 years of prodding, which is the reason I gave him over 3 months after his receipt of the letter from the CDA to respond. I have also been a volunteer for the peer review process for another “professional” society in which verbal and written communications are of prime importance and are REQUIRED by state laws. An additional example of malfeasance of ignoring communications involved another dentist that told me that it would be against state law for him to clean my teeth without having me submit to x-rays first, irregardless of when I last had oral x-rays. The result, in my opinion, is a license for such practitioners to lie, cheat and steal.
My experience with the dental associations corresponds to the opinion expressed by Margaret Carlson in Bloomberg News on June 19, 2009 titled “Gods in White Coats Hold Key to Health Care” As Ms. Carlson states:
“Code of Silence
Malpractice suits will only go away if doctors find a reliable way to police themselves. Peer review doesn’t work. No one turns in doctors publishing puff pieces about drugs and devices they’re being paid to like. They practice omerta when it comes to testifying against a fellow doctor.”
Carlson also states that “According to researchers at Dartmouth Medical School, almost $700 billion a year is wasted on unnecessary care.” This is the result of omerta.
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