Will a negative event hurt you? Over the last 38 years we have been contacted by many dentists after a negative event occurs in their practice. It could be a lawsuit, a patient requesting a refund, or an unexpected problem with a team member. While these events can be emotionally devastating, research has found that they rarely have a significant financial impact on the practice. The next time your practice experiences a negative event, ask yourself about the financial impact before thinking about the emotional impact. Most negative events have solutions that can be handled by an outside entity like an insurance company, and it is fairly easy and inexpensive to make it go away.