Staying HIPAA compliant requires knowledge of HIPAA regulations and changes or updates to the Privacy Rule. Adrian Lefler of My Social Practice shares some of the common digital marketing strategies for dental practices and how they should be evaluated for HIPAA compliance.
For most people, there’s at least one ongoing task or project that causes stress at work because there isn’t an easy way to do it. For the front office team, this task is usually dental scheduling. Here are six ways to make dental scheduling a hassle-free experience.
Compliance is a critical aspect of any successful dental practice. As such, it’s important to stay on top of current standards, laws and guidelines to safeguard your dental practice and patients. Here are five common denominators of compliance every practice should consider.
While cloud-based practice management software offers many business benefits, it’s important to consider basic safety protocols such as data security, remote login policies and passwords protection. Linda Harvey discusses how to keep your data safe and HIPAA compliant.
A growing number of states are allowing businesses, including dental practices, to reopen. Is your practice ready to resume routine patient care? Linda Harvey, RDH, shares several compliance factors to consider as part of your reopening process.
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, many dentists have turned to teledentistry to stay connected with patients while practicing social distancing; providing consultation, evaluation and next step actions. But as with any new technology, teledentistry brings about new questions. Healthcare risk management and compliance expert, Linda Harvey, RDH, shares her expertise in assuring the teledentistry technology you choose for your practice is compliant with HIPAA rules and keeps the privacy and security of your patients intact.
As practices embrace diverse administrative roles, compliance becomes increasingly important. Teams need to be aware of the importance of maintaining compliance, whether staying up to date on labor laws, OSHA...
Of the major threats that we see our customers presently facing, the most damaging of them is a breach of patient records. Unlike the cyber attacks that we read about...
Since the Privacy Rule became effective in 2003, the HIPAA laws have become increasingly complex, with very detailed compliance requirements that come with stiff fines and penalties for noncompliance. As...
Recently, I receive a frantic email from an orthodontic client. A team member had emailed a patient’s diagnostic letter to the referring dentist. But the patient had specifically stated she...
All healthcare professionals would agree that maintaining confidentiality and privacy of patient information is of utmost importance. The requirements for maintaining confidentiality and privacy are strictly mandated under the HIPAA...
We’ve been asking you to submit your most pressing HIPAA-related social media questions, and a couple came in that I think are important, common questions. Question 1: How do you...
Undeniably, technology has transformed the way dentistry is delivered and how we communicate with patients. With these changes come federal and/or state laws such as HIPAA, mandating patient privacy and...
In-office promotions and patient giveaways are an easy way to market to existing and prospective patients. However, there are always legalities that must be followed to be sure that what...
A few months ago, I wrote an article called Social Media Legal Considerations for Dentistry. Since then, I’ve received dozens of comments, questions and feedback. Many of you were simply grateful...
Social media is a very common piece of marketing strategy for many businesses, including dental practices, and often these businesses look to their customers to help create content. Customers are...
HIPAA and Release of Information regulations can create sticky situations. Frequently, I am asked how to handle release of information to the caregiver of an elderly patient after the information...
If you’re a frequent reader of Off The Cusp, then you’ll know we cover a lot of topics and hear from a lot of different contributors who have a huge...
Knock, Knock Who’s there? OCR OCR, who? Oh see, are your HIPAA Policies up to date? According to the 2011 Second Annual Benchmark Study on Patient Privacy & Data Security...
In February of this year the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) announced its plans for the Phase 2 mandatory HIPAA compliance audits. Since that time, several details surrounding the HIPAA...
Setting up for the next patient is a natural part of your daily workflow. You wouldn’t dream of not having an instrument pack or cassette along with disposable items ready...
As a software trainer, I can’t wait to learn all I can about new Eaglesoft features. It excites me to see how these features can be used by practices to...
As I speak with dentists and team members across the country, I am surprised at the large numbers of people who don’t appreciate the potential for serious consequences to their...
At dinner in a restaurant recently with my husband, who is a psychologist, and one of his colleagues, I listened to them “talk shop” about therapists and confidentiality. As I...
Social media change is constant. If you’re still managing your Facebook, Twitter and other platforms the same way you did last year, you are likely missing opportunities. Like many of...
Back in July, we wrote about HIPAA and HITECH compliance as it relates to automatic patient communications, and discussed how software tools like RevenueWell adhere to these regulations. The deadline...
As we mentioned previously, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced updates to the HIPAA Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules. These updates were published in a new...
Personal privacy is no longer personal – it's even in the news these days. Every day seems to bring reports of some celebrity cell phone hack or coverage concerning a...
By now, dental practitioners are likely aware that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued long-awaited changes to the Privacy, Security and Breach Notification Rules. The Omnibus...
As U.S.-based dental practitioners know, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and its implementing regulations require healthcare providers to train staff regularly on policies and procedures to safeguard...