Resources

Work through the questions below and assess your practice’s readiness around employee wages, your 2021 holiday schedule and break-time policies.

Patient communication and management are imperative to your practice’s health. Assess your practice’s readiness on patient communication and management.

Compliance standards continue to evolve. Find the most up-to date guidance on regulatory compliance and infection control best practices.

The ADA updates CDT codes annually. Are you prepared for 2022? Learn how to avoid unnecessary claim denials and delays.

A new year means updated regulations to keep your practice in compliance. Get the latest on electronic prescribing, C.E. certificates and license renewal in this quarter’s Practice Health Check.

Evaluate your employment practices including employee licensure and training cycles, performance management and get ahead of the California CalSavers Retirement Savings Program mandate.

Employee meal and rest breaks, leaves of absence, and other employment matters are the focus during the first quarter of 2023. CDA members are invited to take the Q1 Practice Health Check consisting of just three questions.

Encourage vaccination with this flyer from the CDC.

Studies show employee retention increases when employers invest in the initial first months of employment. Doing reviews at the first 30, 60, and 90 days of an employee's tenure with a practice is a great way to provide them with feedback on their performance, and it offers them the opportunity to tell you what is going well and where they need help. Use this form to conduct and document 30-60-90-day reviews with your new employee.  

Dental practices must have this Cal/OSHA regulation available to employees. This copy is Appendix 2 of the Regulatory Compliance Manual.  Updated Sept 2019.

This training guides staff through the state and HIPAA requirements for providing access. Instructions on staff presentation are included.

It is required to notify dental plans of a new provider treating patients in the office.  This resource provides information and a sample letter that can be customized and printed on office letterhead when informing dental plans of a new provider.

Tips for reducing employee exposure to air contaminants including formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde and nitrous oxide in order not to exceed Cal/OSHA permissible exposure levels.

An overview of the Cal/OSHA requirements for a dental practice to have an air compressor/tank permit.

California launched CalSavers to give employers an easy way to comply with the mandate and help their employees save for retirement.

State law now requires all businesses with five or more employees to facilitate CalSavers if they do not sponsor a retirement plan. Deadlines for employers to comply vary based on the size of business. The deadline for employers with five or more employees is June 30, 2022. Eligible employers with 5 or more employees who have not yet registered, should do so as soon as possible to avoid penalties. Visit CalSavers.com for more information on how to register.

Use these resources when adopting an alternative workweek (AWW) in a dental practice to ensure all details are met and properly reported to the Department of Industrial Relations. Includes checklist, templates and samples for use during AWW implementation.

A sample inspection and maintenance log to aid compliance with amalgam separator rule. Use if the local sanitation district does not have a form.

Information on EPA rule requiring dental practices to install amalgam separators and comply with specific best management practices. Most dental facilities must comply with the rule by July 14, 2020.

A list of best practices and information resources on managing amalgam waste.

California-specific application to help evaluate a candidate’s experience and skills, and information on obtaining authorization for reference checks. 

Electronic prescriptions (E-prescriptions) are mandated as of Jan 1, 2022. Printed prescription forms may be used only in limited circumstances specified by law. Order forms from these printers.

A recent update to federal law providing additional rights to parents who must express breast milk at work has impacted the federal Minimum Wage poster. Known as the “PUMP” Act (Providing Urgent Maternal Protections for Nursing Mothers), the law impacts employers who are not covered by California’s more expansive protections. Since it came into effect employers must accommodate nursing mothers by, among other things, providing a location other than a bathroom to express breast milk. California has required lactation accommodation for a number of years and requires notices to employees above and beyond poster notice requirements.

Poster last revised: April 2023 (previous versions, including the August 2016 version included in CDA’s Required Poster Set, no longer fulfill the posting requirement and should be replaced). You must download a pdf of the revised poster and affix it over the prior poster.

This section of the toolkit helps you understand and evaluate your employment choices as an associate, explains the types of dental practices in which associates in California work, and provides information on alternate career options to consider.

What is the next step after you’ve graduated from dental schools? These resources have been designed to help you through the next steps in finding your career path.

This section of the toolkit is provided by The Dentists Insurance Company, a subsidiary of the California Dental Association.

It’s important to protect your personal and professional security at every stage of your career, and having the proper amount of insurance coverage as an associate is no exception. This chapter helps you understand insurance limits and coverage types as well as when and why each is necessary as an associate.