Nevada audit comes down hard on board’s investigations

Spotty record-keeping, mischarging of licensees, and inconsistent investigative practices led the list of problems listed in a Nevada legislative audit of the state’s Board of Dental Examiners issued June 16.

The report, presented at the Sunset Subcommittee of the Legislative Commission, highlighted the fact that the board overcharged almost half of its licensees for investigative costs over the last two years.

“Overcharges were likely due to the Board lacking an effective process for accurately determining the amount of investigative costs for individuals,” the audit notes.

How investigations were conducted was also a point of concern. According to the report, an independent person or committee did not read investigation results. Instead, a single Disciplinary Screening Officer (DSO) determined whether a violation occurred and the appropriate sanctions to be imposed. This practice often lead to inconsistencies.

“Allowing one person to determine the significance of a matter and the proper sanctions before a review by any other professional can lead to inconsistent resolutions of complaints,” the audit read.

Read the audit here.