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2022 Q1 Practice Health Check: Regulatory Compliance

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.

2022 Q2 Practice Health Check: Employment Practices

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

2022 Q3 Practice Health Check: Practice Management

With inevitable rising costs and continued staff shortages, it is critical to have a system for managing your practice’s overhead expenses to help offset the impact inflation has on your practice.

2022 Q4 Practice Health Check: Dental Benefit Plans

Dentists are encouraged to review and analyze their procedure fees annually to ensure their usual, customary and reasonable fees will keep pace with several factors, including the state of the economy. The material, laboratory, technology and labor costs for the provision of some dental procedures can change over time and should be factored into consideration.

2023 Q1 Practice Health Check

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.

2023 Q2 Practice Health Check: Regulatory Compliance

CDA encourages you to take time to review and improve the way your practice handles records requests, analyzes risk and communicates privacy policies.

2023 Q3 Practice Health Check: Patient Financial Management

Establishing a transparent patient financial policy is critical for setting clear expectations and maintaining a straightforward working relationship

2023 Q4 Practice Health Check – Dental Benefits

Just like you need to make sure your heating system is maintained and ready for the season ahead, examining your dental benefit billing habits on a regular basis is sound management.

2024 New California Paid Sick Leave Requirements and New Notice

Beginning Jan 1, employers must provide 5 days or 40 hours of paid sick leave annually. Employers should, update their policies, inform payroll providers of changes, provide employees with a new copy of the Notice to Employees required under California’s Wage Theft Protection Act and post the updated paid sick leave poster available on the Labor Commissioner’s website.

2024 Q1 Practice Health Check: Regulatory Compliance – Required Cal/OSHA Documentation

Do you have a written illness and injury prevention plan? Cal/OSHA frequently issues citations with financial penalties to dental practices that do not have this plan.

3 Important Reasons For Adults to Get Vaccinated

Encourage vaccination with this flyer from the CDC.

30-60-90 Day Performance Evaluation

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.  

About This Toolkit

This toolkit was created to help dentists determine whether administering COVID-19 tests in their office is appropriate for their practice. 

Access To Employee Exposure and Medical Records

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

Access to Patient Records

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

ADA COVID-19 Practice Ethics Guide

Here’s how the ADA Code of Ethics applies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Adding a Dentist to a Dental Plan as a New Provider

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.

Air Contaminants in Dentistry

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

Air Tank and Compressor Inspection and Permit

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

All employers must register for CalSavers by June 30, 2022

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.

Alternative Workweek Resources

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.

Amalgam Separator Requirements - Q&A

Information on EPA rule requiring dental practices to install amalgam separators and comply with specific best management practices.  Includes a sample inspection and maintenance log.

Amalgam Waste Best Management Practices

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

Application for Employment

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

April 1, 2016: Develop new antidiscrimination policies

Amendments to California's Fair Employment and Housing Act regulations, which generally apply to employers of five or more employees, require employers to develop and distribute antidiscrimination, anti-harassment and complaint investigation policies. CDA has developed sample policy language and a sample employee manual template for dental practices.

April 2023: Mandatory Update to Federal Minimum Wage Poster

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.

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