Practice Management

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Is your alternative workweek schedule compliant with California Law? Under California law, alternative workweek schedules permit workplaces to adopt different schedules longer than eight hours (up to 10 hours) without accruing overtime, but the process is not as simple as the employer unilaterally deciding to have an alternative workweek schedule.

Whether you’re looking to purchase or sell your practice now or a few years down the road, it’s never too early to begin mapping out your purchase or sale by identifying and reviewing available resources. Preparation and planning for either transaction can take time. Building a team of professionals you trust and are comfortable working with while ensuring proper compliance systems are in place will support a seamless practice transition.

Is your practice prepared for a dental plan audit? The word “audit” can create anxiety for most dentists, but taking preemptive measures before an audit happens can reduce your stress and liability should you ever have to comply with a dental plan’s request to audit your practice.

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

Inspecting the office’s equipment is an essential part of the due diligence process before buying a dental practice. Use this list to conduct a thorough equipment inspection.

When buying a dental practice, the patient chart audit is a critical part of both the due diligence process and your potential for long-term success. The audit allows you to visually validate the reports presented by the seller and should be conducted in collaboration with a dental CPA, dental attorney or consultant. This resource provides a list of essential elements to review when auditing patient charts.

A summary of the pathways to obtain a California dental license, the first of many licenses, permits, certificates and registrations necessary to practice dentistry, as well as to own and operate a dental practice, in the state.

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.

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

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.