Practice Management

The Dentists Insurance Company (TDIC) has noted an increase in calls to its Risk Management Advice Line from dentists who are facing AwDA digital accessibility lawsuits. Read more about the law and reasonable accessibility as well as the risks of noncompliance and benefits of compliance.

Nearly one year has passed since California dentists and other health care providers began electronically prescribing all medications in compliance with state law. Hopefully, processes have been much more efficient for you and your patients, but don’t wait to evaluate your options.
 

“Sad or Mad: Fear and Loss of Control in the Pandemic,” an editorial by Kerry K. Carney, DDS, CDE, that appeared in the April 2021 Journal of the California Dental Association, is the first-place recipient of the 2021 William J. Gies Editorial Award.
 

In dentistry, optimal patient safety exists when all members of the dental team actively work together to ensure the well-being of each patient. When a crisis does arise, a prepared team is an effective team.

Guidelines for behavior should exist when practice team members interact with one another outside of the office. TDIC’s Risk Management analysts encourage dentists to promote high standards of behavior inside and outside of the office by clearly defining professional boundaries.

Handling unhappy patients can be an unfortunate reality of practice ownership. On the rare occasion anger escalates to aggression, be mindful of your obligation to provide a safe working environment for your employees. Follow guidance for safe and appropriate de-escalation tactics.

In-office dental assistant training has arrived for the many CDA members who continue to have challenges finding and hiring qualified dental assistants for their practice. The curriculum provides 12 weeks of supportive online learning for use alongside in-office training.

Abyde software guides practices through mandatory HIPAA compliance requirements, making compliance programs easy and sustainable for dental practices of any size.

Dentists who received Provider Relief Fund payments during period 3 are required to use those funds on eligible pandemic-related expenses by June 30 and report the use of those funds July 1-Sept. 30 if the payments exceeded $10,000. 

Questions arise regarding if and when dentists should consider dismissing patients. Recent calls to TDIC’s Advice Line showcase the unique complexities of dismissing patients prior to completion of treatment.

The 2022-23 state budget signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom includes all of CDA’s priority asks, making significant gains for dentistry and oral health with major investments in health care workforce development.

Dental assistant training programs are successfully placing graduates in California dental practices. One recent graduate, Liz Martinez, changed her career as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and is now employed by a dental practice in San Francisco.