Department of Health
John J. Dreyzehner, MD, MPH, Commissioner
Quality Assurance Review
In May 1996, staff in the Oral Health Services Section developed a quality assurance review instrument (in PDF format) for dentists who deliver direct patient care in health department settings. The dental peer review program is designed to provide an effective, objective, and uniform method of evaluating clinical dental services to assure that high quality care is provided to all patients in a professional manner. The quality assurance review process is an essential component of the employee's annual job performance cycle (i.e., job planning discussion, interim reviews, and job performance evaluation). The purpose of the quality assurance review process is to assess and improve the quality of dental care delivered to health department patients. The professional competency of the dentists is assessed by chart review and by direct observation of clinical care.
There is evidence that a relationship exists between the quality of clinical record keeping and the quality of care provided. Therefore, the focus of the quality assurance review program is on the evaluation of the dental records of individual patients as well as the direct clinical observation of care. The regional dental director has the responsibility of assuring that necessary corrective action is taken to bring the evaluated dentist into compliance with the quality assurance review criteria and standards of practice for public health dentistry.
The initial responsibility for instilling professional standards of care, values, and skills within dental providers resides with the professional and technical schools that provide the basic training within the profession of dentistry. Boards of dental examiners test basic clinical skills and knowledge on select procedures as dentists and hygienists present themselves for licensure. Ultimately, it is individual professional integrity, supported by technical knowledge, clinical skills, and continued educational development that provides the foundation for the provision of needed dental services in a safe, effective, caring, and non-discriminatory manner.
The Oral Health Services Section of the Tennessee Department of Health is responsible for assuring that the dental care provided in public health clinics meets or exceeds existing standards in regard to quality, quantity, appropriateness, need, and safety. However, no administrative body can guarantee through quality assurance reviews or quality assurance review evaluations that standards of care are being met on a patient-by-patient, procedure-by-procedure, or day-by-day basis. The maintenance of professional standards of care, in terms of individual provider responsibility for the quality and appropriateness of services provided to individual patients, rests with the provider. Our goal is that every provider should strive for excellence through practicing fundamentally sound dentistry at all times.
Governor Bill Haslam
