The new year and an expanded sales and service team at TDIC Insurance Solutions promise to deliver an enhanced, “more holistic” customer service experience for TDIC policyholders. In fact, policyholders who’ve called TDIC Insurance Solutions recently may have already noticed the change. Effective January, policyholders in California, Arizona, Nevada, Minnesota and North Dakota now benefit from having one dedicated agent and one dedicated account manager.
Employers in California can now visit a single website to help them understand their requirements under a new law that further restricts their ability to classify their workers as independent contractors. Launched late last year by the California Labor & Workforce Development Agency, the website provides employer-specific resources and FAQ summarizing AB 5 and the ABC test and more.
Some hospitals in the U.S. have stopped the practice of covering patients’ reproductive organs during radiographic examinations, but CDA reminds dentists that current state regulation requires that protective aprons be used during dental radiography. The move by hospitals follows an April 2019 recommendation by the American College of Radiology and other medical groups, Kaiser Health News reported last month.
CDA-sponsored legislation that further increases dental plan transparency became law on Jan. 1. AB 954 requires dental plans to be more transparent about the leasing of dental networks. The new law will reduce patient and dentist confusion caused by the increasing number of plans leasing their networks to other payers, many times unbeknownst to the enrollee or contracted dentist(s). The law took effect for contracts entered into on or after Jan. 1, 2020.
Many employers fear that allowing employees to work from home will result in lowered productivity and misrepresented time sheets. However, studies have shown that allowing employees to work from home on occasion has numerous benefits, including improved morale and better employee retention. But employers are often uncertain about their responsibilities for managing risk. Who is responsible if an employee becomes injured on the job? What about HIPAA considerations?
Start your new year on the right foot by auditing your human resources systems and records. To diminish the possibility of legal issues and to ensure that your practice seeks to comply with labor and employment laws, it is important to perform an HR audit. An audit can include timekeeping and wage statements and all of the following.
Paul Reggiardo, DDS, executive director of the California Society of Pediatric Dentistry, spoke recently with Miguel Padilla, DMD, one of 38 dentists who received a CalHealthCares student loan repayment in 2019.
This year marks the California Dental Association’s sesquicentennial anniversary. In celebration of this remarkable milestone, CDA looks back on its bold beginnings and looks forward to the limitless possibilities ahead. Over 150 years, CDA has innovated and grown to become a community of 27,000 members and the largest state society in the ADA. Its rich heritage is filled with radical ideas that changed dentistry for the better.
Claims of discrimination, retaliation and wrongful termination aren’t unique to large corporations. Federal discrimination lawsuits against Coca-Cola, Ford Motor Company and Wal-Mart tend to make the headlines with their multimillion-dollar settlements, but under the protection of state laws, California workers at smaller companies, including dental practices, can file lawsuits claiming that their legal rights as employees have been violated. And they do.
Protections for nursing mothers in California were significantly expanded under a bill signed into law in October by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Senate Bill 142 clarifies employer obligations to provide breaks and safe, private locations that include specified accommodations. The bill increases penalties for noncompliance and requires that employers implement a written lactation accommodation policy beginning Jan. 1, 2020.
Eligible California dentists, dental students, physicians and medical residents can apply beginning Jan. 13 for up to $300,000 in student loan repayment or a practice support grant through the CalHealthCares program. Marc Bernardo, DMD, MPH, one of 38 dentists awarded a CalHealthCares Student Loan Repayment in June 2019, encourages dentists and dental students who are interested in applying to start preparing now.
The ubiquity of cellphone use puts employers in a difficult spot. See how phone use can bring up questions of productivity, professionalism and privacy in a dental office setting, and how to develop and enforce appropriate policies.
