828 IAC 1-1-23 Illegal, unlawful, incompetent, or fraudulent conduct; reporting procedures

Sec. 23. (a) A dentist who has a reasonable belief based upon personal knowledge that another dentist has engaged in illegal, unlawful, incompetent, or fraudulent conduct in the practice of dentistry shall promptly report such conduct to a peer review committee, as defined in IC 34-4-12.6-1(c) [IC 34-4 was repealed by P.L.1-1998, SECTION 221, effective July 1, 1998.], having jurisdiction over the offending dentist and the matter. This subsection does not prohibit a dentist from promptly reporting the conduct directly to the board or to the consumer protection division of the office of the attorney general of Indiana. (b) A dentist who has personal knowledge of any person engaged in, or attempting to engage in, the unauthorized practice of dentistry shall promptly report such conduct to the board or to the consumer protection division of the office of the attorney general of Indiana. (c) A dentist who voluntarily submits to, or is otherwise undergoing, a course of treatment for addiction, severe dependency upon alcohol, other drugs, or controlled substances, or psychiatric impairment, where such treatment is sponsored or supervised by an impaired practitioner's committee of a state, regional, or local organization of professional health care providers, or where such treatment is sponsored or supervised by an impaired practitioner's committee of a hospital, shall be exempt from reporting to a peer review committee as set forth in subsection (a) or to the board or to the consumer protection division of the office of the attorney general of Indiana for so long as: (1) the dentist is complying with the course of treatment; (2) the dentist is making satisfactory progress; and (3) the dentist has not engaged in illegal, unlawful, incompetent, or fraudulent conduct in the practice of dentistry beyond the practitioner's addiction, severe dependency upon alcohol, other drugs, or controlled substances, or psychiatric impairment. (d) If the dentist fails to comply with, or fails to make satisfactory progress in, the course of treatment, the chief administrative officer, the designee of the chief administrative officer, or any member of the impaired practitioner's committee shall promptly report such facts and circumstances to the board or to the consumer protection division of the office of the attorney general of Indiana. (e) This section shall not, in any manner whatsoever, directly or indirectly, be deemed or construed to prohibit, restrict, limit, or otherwise preclude the board from taking such action as it deems appropriate or as may otherwise be provided by law.