Practice Management

Leadership, practice ownership, patient management, practice systems and transition.


You have your own vision of what makes an ideal practice. Detail and document your vision with our sample business plans. Use step-by-step checklists for opening, transferring ownership of or closing a practice. Get tips on marketing your practice, patient education tools and more.

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Dental Software Transition Checklists

Developed by a long-time information technology veteran and electronic health records expert, these checklists will help you start the transition to a new software.

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 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.

Access to Patient Records

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

Associate Career Options and Dental Practice Types

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.

Associate Dentist 101 - Finding Your Career Path

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.

Associate Insurance Needs

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.

Associate Legal Relationships

As an associate, there are several ways to structure the relationship between you and the employer. In this resource, we review different options.

Authorization for a Caretaker to Accompany a Minor Patient

Form to be completed by legal guardian to authorize a caretaker (non legal guardian) to accompany a minor to his/her dental appointment. 

Authorization for Agent to Consent to Dental Treatment of a Minor

This form allows for a non-legal guardian to consent to a minor patient’s treatment. It must be signed by a parent or legal guardian.

Becoming a Great Associate: Advice From Your Peers

The advice below was gathered from multiple interviews conducted by CDA staff with CDA dentists who are, or recently were, associates. The members selected for the interviews represent a variety of associateship experiences and backgrounds.

California Dental Licensure Options

A dental license is the first of many licenses, permits, certificates and registrations necessary to practice dentistry, as well as to own and operate a dental practice. In this resources, learn about requirements, application instructions and links for the most common ways to obtain a California Dental License.

California State Mandated Reporting

California law designates certain individuals as "mandated reporters” for known or suspected abuse or neglect of a child, elder and dependent adult and incidents of violence. Dentists, and many members of the dental team, are required to acknowledge their responsibility and make reports as well as consider training for their teams.

Call Evaluation Form

This Call Evaluation form can be used to evaluate and coach team members on effective scheduling and a positive patient experience

Caregiver’s Authorization Affidavit

A minor patient who does not have a parent in their life may be under the care of a family member who is not a legal guardian. Use the affidavit when the family member seeks dental treatment for the minor.

 

Collections Agency FAQ

Answering frequent questions about third party collection agencies. Things to know to stay in compliance with HIPAA and CMIA while working to collect past due patient balances.

Communicating Radiation Safety to Your Patients

Are you confident your patients understand the necessity of diagnostic X-rays? Here are some of the questions you may get from patients and guidance on how to best respond.

Conducting a Self-Audit

Info on practice management audits: practice strategic plan, production goals and revisions to schedule, chart audit, financial audit, billing, and how to update management policies and procedures.

Confidential Health History Form (English & Spanish)

This form should be completed by each new patient or a new patient’s legal guardian. Additionally, this form should be reviewed at each patient appointment with changes noted and signed for. Used with permissions from TDIC.

Consent Form for Use or Disclosure of Patient Health Information

Use this sample form to obtain patient consent for use or disclosure of patient information as required by HIPAA and state law.

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