Analysts who answer The Dentists Insurance Company’s Risk Management Advice Line field thousands of calls about practice challenges — many of which are related to navigating paper and digital documents.
In 2020 alone, The Dentists Insurance Company’s Risk Management Advice Line received 18,018 calls from dentists seeking support to navigate practice challenges. It’s a number that illustrates the myriad conflicts dentists navigate today as well as the need for tools to help them de-escalate potential crises.
A new law that expands the list of individuals who are required to report suspected child abuse and neglect could apply to certain dental practice employees.
Sunstar Americas Inc. has expanded its voluntary nationwide recall on its prescription oral rinse. The FDA on Dec. 28, 2020, published an updated announcement expanding the expiration period from Dec. 31, 2020, to Sept. 30, 2022.
The Work Sharing program minimizes or eliminates the need for employers to lay off or furlough employees during periods when business demand is low. Under the program, employers can reduce hours and wages for individual employees, allowing those workers to receive partial unemployment benefits.
Being the victim of theft is bad enough, but when that theft is perpetrated by a trusted member of your dental team, it’s especially harrowing. Unfortunately, theft within dental practices is surprisingly common and it’s on the rise. One of the most common types of theft in the dental office is staff embezzlement.
Countless protections are in place to safeguard our private financial data. In the dental office, data encryption, anti-virus software and firewalls are the go-to preventative measures, not to mention the classic lock-and-key methods for securing hardware and other items of value. Unfortunately, smart thieves can, and have, found ways to outwit many of the most advanced security systems.
Maria Ladd can cite many examples of good patient outcomes from her eight years and counting as a registered dental hygienist in alternative practice, but she has a couple of favorites. One involves a first-time patient, age 80, who resided in an assisted living center. The patient’s daughter had contacted Ladd to request a teeth cleaning on her mother’s behalf.
At the direction of the 2018 CDA House of Delegates, CDA has been working with the Dental Board of California to better understand the scope of practice for general dentists as it relates to the use of cosmetic agents such as Botox and dermal fillers. The house directed CDA to take this action to clear up confusion that arose from the creation of the Elective Facial Cosmetic Surgery permit as it relates to the scope of cosmetic services general dentists may provide.
As some dental practices in California continue to recover from the devastating effects of the 2018 wildfires, The Dentists Insurance Company advises dentists to be prepared for not only the 2019 wildfire season but also for the possibility of year-round wildfire threats. Making sure all practice records, including patient charts and accounts receivable, are backed up often with copies kept in cloud storage or an off-site location is an important step.
