Author: web

As we enter the last quarter of the year, there are important considerations to make in reviewing your regulatory compliance program. Let’s look at HIPAA.

by Olivia Wann

It is the policy of the Board to require strict compliance with the laws of the State. It is the duty and responsibility of the Board to enforce the Practice Act. 

Prevent a Board complaint from occurring by familiarizing yourself with the Board’s website and reviewing the Board of Dentistry’s disciplinary actions.  Seeing the common pitfalls will help you to avoid the same mistakes.  

by Olivia Wann

Acadia Health doing business as Just Kids Dental filed a notice of a data breach with the Attorney General of Maine on September 1, 2023. Evidently an unauthorized party accessed patient information including:

• Patient names
• Social security numbers
• Addresses
• Email addresses
• Telephone numbers
• Birth dates
• Driver’s license numbers
• Health insurance policy information
• Dental treatment
  • Radiographs
  • Medical record numbers
  • Account numbers, and
  • Health conditions

The dental practice sent out data breach notification letters affected by the security incident. There were over 129,000 patients and employees affected.

How did this happen? The pediatric office was targeted in a cyberattack. Hackers encrypted the computer networks including any data stored on the system including patient and employee files.

It’s very unfortunate to report that we noted one law firm “inviting” victims of the breach to participate in a class action lawsuit against Acadia Health if they have experienced any fraud or identify theft since August 1, 2023. None of us are immune from a cyberattack. We can only mitigate risk through compliance with recognized security practices (RSPs), compliance with HIPAA and working with a competent IT group. If you need assistance with your HIPAA Security Risk Assessment, contact us today (931) 232-7738.

by Olivia Wann

In dentistry, we know that informed consent allows patients to make decisions in their dental care. We are aware that parents and legal guardians provide consent for minors. But the question arises, who provides consent for minors who are in foster homes?

by Olivia Wann

It may sound redundant, but we cannot please every patient we serve. Although the majority of the individuals we serve may be great patients and contribute to you having a wonderful day at work, the reality is there’s those one or two who make our lives miserable. It’s the rude, disruptive patient who has unrealistic expectations.  They don’t comply with your recommendations and then blame you for unfavorable results. They fail to keep appointments. They don’t pay their bill. And somehow you are the target.

By Gracie Hogue

As air quality has been a major headline topic lately in the eastern U.S. and Canada, it is a major consideration for the dental practice as well. The scientific community has made a committed emphasis on indoor air quality of medical and dental facilities since the 1960s, and now with airborne infections becoming a critical focus, there have been new developments in ensuring that your practice’s air is clean and healthy for both the patients and its workers.

Aerosol-generating procedures produce large quantities of aerosol that can hover in the air and eventually land on surfaces or be inhaled. To combat this, there are some amazing work practice controls and engineering control options. Here is the difference between the two:

Work Practice Controls – This is when the practice changes how certain treatments and arrangements are done. Work practice controls are different from engineering controls in that they do very little to eliminate the aerosol, but work around it in such a way that more or less isolates people from the hazard. Here are some examples of Work Practice Controls:

• Plastic curtains separating patients
• Separate rooms
• Partitions
• Sneeze guards
• Easy-to-clean physical barriers between patient chairs
• Orienting operatories parallel with the direction of airflow
• The patient’s head being be positioned near return air vents, away from corridors, and toward a rear wall when feasible
• Dental dams

Engineering Controls – These are machines that purify the air and collect the potentially infectious aerosol. Here are some examples of Engineering Controls:

• External oral evacuation units
• Air purifiers
• Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation
• Amalgam separators
• Capt-all devices

Whichever work practice controls or engineering controls you choose to implement, it is vital to be a part of the fight of infection control.

by Gracie Hogue

Are you planning to travel with your practice laptop this year? Here are some interesting statistics for you to take into account. 

According to a survey by Ponemon Institute, “TSA reports that at mid level and large airports, 90,000-100,000 laptops are left at TSA checkpoints – an estimated 10,279 each week. 65% of those are never reclaimed. 53% said their laptops contained confidential business information, yet 63% of those had taken no steps to protect the information. 76% of companies surveyed reported losing 1 or more laptops each year with 22% of those lost due to theft. The FTC recommends that you ‘treat your laptop like cash!'”

As of May 10, 2023, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) entered into a Voluntary Resolution Agreement with a Florida healthcare clinic to resolve a disability discrimination complaint based on Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Section 1557 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The complaint was filed by an individual who is deaf and hard of hearing, alleging that the healthcare center where her husband was being treated failed to provide her with auxiliary aids and services when she requested an interpreter be present for her while she attended her husband’s post-surgical medical appointment, as his companion.

The OCR enforces Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, two federal civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of disability in programs receiving Federal financial assistance.

OCR Director Melanie Fontes Rainer said, “Ensuring patient safety is at the heart of providing care in a quality and ethical manner. It should not take a federal investigation for a health care provider to provide an interpreter so that a patient’s caregiver can understand important information, such as a post treatment plan. We are seeing case after case involving health care providers who fail in their responsibility under federal civil rights laws to provide effective communication to patients and their caregivers. This action supports OCR’s efforts to promote community integration by removing barriers to receiving services in the community.  OCR will continue to take robust enforcement action until we make it clear that health care providers must remove unnecessary barriers and provide equal treatment for those who are deaf or hard of hearing.”

by Olivia Wann

You can likely recall an experience where a patient forgot to tell you they had a heart attack or other major illness since the last time they visited your office. Good thing you took the time to make an inquiry of any changes in their health history! 

by Gracie Hogue

In this age, to say that a business’ online presence is important would be a gross understatement. Whoever handles the practice’s media accounts is in effect managing the business’ reputation and how the practice communicates their objectives to both current and potential patients. Research shows that a whopping 79% of consumers go online to find medical / dental services, so it is vital to handle this facet of your business wisely.