by Olivia Wann
Nothing can frustrate an employee more than asking them to attend a course on a usual day for them to work and not compensating them.
Is it required by law to pay employees for their time to attend a CE event? The short answer is it depends.
by Caitlin Denison
Georgia is leading the way in patient safety with a new law requiring all dental practices to ensure that water used in nonsurgical procedures meets U.S. EPA drinking water standards. This regulation is a significant step forward—and many practices need to act fast to stay compliant.
by Olivia Wann
Most practices maintain a website. According to the Office of Civil Rights, if you maintain a website, you are required to make available your Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP). According to 45 CFR 164.520(c)(3), “(i) A covered entity that maintains a web site that provides information about the covered entity’s customer services or benefits must prominently post its notice on the web site and make the notice available electronically through the web site.”
If you have a run in with a HIPAA violation, don’t be surprised if the OCR peruses your website. They will want evidence that the Notice of Privacy Practices (NPP) plus the contact information.
The NPP must designate who the HIPAA Compliance Officer is. This person would receive complaints and provide additional information. Is your NPP current? Is the HIPAA Compliance Officer name current and the contact information current, such as the name and practice telephone number?
These are two very basic requirements and trust me, it comes up.
If you are collecting protected health information (PHI) through your website, this is another potentially serious issue. You must consult your webmaster about encrypting data that is in motion and at rest to prevent a breach.
by Olivia Wann
Over-ordering can result in pushing the practice over budget and risk expiration of products prior to use. Not having enough supplies leads to frustration especially when you reach for a product only to find an empty shelf. How do we implement good inventory control?
by Olivia Wann
If you’re staying up to date with the latest guidelines, then you are familiar with antibiotic stewardship. Four out of five antibiotics prescribed by a dentist are unnecessary or in discordance per the latest guidelines.
The Department of Health and Human Services published in the Federal Register the HIPAA Security Rule, including new HIPAA requirements, to Strengthen the Cybersecurity of Electronic Protected Health Information on January 6th, 2025. It is open for public comment until March 6th and then dental offices must work toward compliance within 180 days—that’s only 6 months!
by Caitlin Denison, BS, RDH
In the early morning hours of March 26, 2024 firefighters were called out to a dental office in Chattanooga, Tennessee where flames were seen coming through the roof. The building was severely damaged, as was the equipment inside. Luckily, due to the early hour of the fire, no employees or patients were harmed.
We’ve all had that patient who tells the hygienist as soon as they walk into the treatment room, “No x-ray today.” A patient is refusing radiographs- do we simply make notes in the patient’s record and continue with the prophy? Hmm…sounds like a poor risk management plan.
It’s time to get into complete compliance and not linger with an infection control program full of holes! States like Maryland and California have introduced stricter requirements for infection control training and oversight. It’s clear that the focus on patient and employee safety is growing with infection control in dentistry.
Most dental professionals recognize the risk of contracting hepatitis B while working in the dental field. They also understand that the hepatitis B vaccine is a safe and effective way to protect against the virus. However, during training Q & A sessions, we often find that employees and employers are unsure about their rights and responsibilities regarding the Hep B vaccine. To clarify, here are some common questions and answers to demystify the requirements.