Recently completed audits of selected health care entities for compliance with HIPAA rules found that most of the entities met the timeliness requirements for providing breach notification to individuals but failed to comply with other provisions of the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules.
The Dental Board of California will stop sending California-licensed dentists and others licensed by the board automated renewal application forms in the mail beginning July 2021. Licensees can expect to receive instead a postcard reminding them to renew online through BreEZe Online Services.
Researchers are examining the link between periodontal disease and COVID-19-related respiratory complications, and early research findings suggest that dental professionals may need to shift their focus to preventing underlying conditions, such as periodontitis, that promote systemic inflammation.
With an increasing demand for dental assistants throughout California, CDA is encouraging member dentists to consider transferable skills while recruiting and hiring. Smile Crew CA aims to create a pool of qualified candidates by targeting job seekers who have been displaced from service roles with adaptable skills that would make them a viable dental assistant.
Dental professionals will be included in the state’s first-phase distribution of COVID-19 vaccine shots. CDPH expects that all essential health care workers identified in Phase 1a will receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of January 2021.
Elisa Chavez, DDS, professor of diagnostic sciences and director of the Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, has received the California Dental Association Foundation’s Dugoni Faculty Award for 2020.
Military families will be eligible for Paid Family Leave benefits beginning Jan. 1, 2021. Dental practice owners are encouraged to update their employee handbooks regarding military exigency and Paid Family Leave benefits.
During this challenging year, stress levels have often been high and patience very low. Regardless of these external stressors or how different individuals manage their frustrations, dental professionals deserve a working environment that is free from hostile interactions.
Sunstar Americas, Inc. has recalled its prescription oral rinse due to a possible microbial contamination. The product could be contaminated with the bacteria Burkholderia lata and may result in life-threatening infections.
California dentists, physicians and other specified licensees who renew their license beginning in April 2021 will see an increase in the regulatory fee assessed annually to cover the “reasonable costs” associated with operating and maintaining CURES 2.0 ― California’s prescription drug monitoring database.
The discussions and debates that seem inescapable during and after election season can impede productivity and create potential risks, but practice owners can take the lead by asking patients and staff to leave political discussions at the door. Establish boundaries and de-escalate tension to minimize conflicts.
The Dentists Supply Company on Oct. 23 joined a new parent company, Henry Schein, and will continue to serve members of organized dentistry as TDSC.com, Powered by Henry Schein.
