Dental practices benefit from creating a written patient privacy policy. However, managing busy dental practices can make it challenging to stay on top of all the local, state, and federal laws regarding patient privacy. Working with an experienced attorney can help protect your patients’ private information and ensure compliance with applicable laws.
The attorneys at Mahan Dental Law are prepared to help you create a thorough and effective patient privacy policy. We recognize that as a dental practice owner, your patience, privacy, and trust in your practice to keep patients’ medical and personal information safe are paramount. Whether you need to create a new patient privacy policy or update your existing policy, we are here to help.
Patient Privacy Requirements Under HIPAA
One of the main reasons dental practice owners need to create a patient privacy policy is to comply with HIPAA. Playing with HIPAA can help lower the risk of lawsuits against your dental practice. It can also help you avoid fines and penalties for violating HIPAA while giving your patients a sense of trust that you’re keeping their private health information secure. HIPAA is a federal law requiring medical practices, including dental practices, to protect patients’ private health information (PHI).
Specifically, HIPAA requires dental practices to protect patients’ PHI from being accessed by unauthorized individuals. The practice must comply with up-to-date cybersecurity protections and protocols to guard against phishing attempts. Dental practices need to use electronic health records for optimal security, and they must have a procedure in place to notify patients if their information has been compromised.
The Benefits of a Dental Patient Privacy Policy
When patients visit your dental practice, they trust you to provide excellent dental work and keep all the information they give you confidential. With news of data breaches and confidential information being leaked almost daily, it’s understandable that patients are more concerned about their privacy than ever. Creating a written patient privacy policy that you can share with your patients will help you strengthen your client’s trust in your dental practice.
Creating a written policy and sharing it with your staff members and patients will also help you show that you are complying with HIPAA and other patient privacy laws. Suppose you don’t have a written policy and are audited for violating HIPAA. In that case, it will be more challenging to prove that your dental practice had a practice of keeping confidential information safe.
What to Include in a Dental Patient Privacy Policy
Creating a patient privacy policy is an essential ethical and legal requirement for dental offices in the United States. Developing a policy reflecting legal and regulatory requirements and your specific privacy procedures is crucial to protecting your dental practice. When you are making a dental patient privacy policy, it’s essential to include the following elements:
- An explanation of how patient information will be used
- An explanation of how patient information will be disclosed
- An explanation of the types of patient information the practice will collect
- The specific measures the practice takes to safeguard patient information
- Patients’ rights regarding their private health care information
- The steps to take to file a complaint about a breach of privacy or violation
- Contact information for the staff member responsible for handling privacy breaches
- An acknowledgment of consent by the patient to the privacy policy
- Procedures for changing or updating the privacy policy as necessary
The Benefits of Working with an Attorney to Write Your Policy
A dental patient privacy policy should be tailored to your dental practice. While boilerplate policies are accessible on the internet, working with an attorney to create your dental patient privacy policy can help protect your patients and your dental practice. Boilerplate policies may not take into account regulations in your state. They may not accurately reflect all of your dental practice’s privacy practices or be written in clear, understandable language for patients reading the policy.
When you work with Mahan Dental Law, we will spend time developing an understanding of how your dental practice operates. We will ask you questions about your practice and create a policy that reflects your office’s privacy practices. We have an in-depth understanding of federal and state patient privacy laws. Our team will use our legal knowledge and experience to ensure your dental patient privacy policy includes language showing that you are in compliance with regulatory laws in your jurisdiction. We stay on top of updates to patient privacy regulations and can help you update your existing patient privacy policy to reflect any changes.
Complying with HIPAA as a Dental Practice Owner
After you have created a patient privacy policy for your dental practice with the help of an attorney, you must comply with your policies. You may benefit from holding a staff-wide meeting to discuss any changes to your dental practice’s procedures regarding private patient information. All staff members should read through and understand the patient privacy policy. Dental practice owners can benefit from purchasing software that helps keep their patients’ information secure and streamlines the gathering of patients’ consent to the practice’s privacy policy.
After establishing your privacy policy and procedures for your staff members, it is also important to consult with an attorney on an ongoing basis. Privacy regulations vary depending on where your dental practice is located. Regularly consulting with an experienced legal professional can help ensure your dental office’s privacy policy complies with all relevant laws and regulations. Working with Mahan Dental attorneys gives dental practice owners peace of mind because they can rest assured that when regulations or requirements related to patient privacy change, we will help them adapt their policies accordingly.
Contact a Dental Law Attorney Today
If you want to create a patient privacy policy or update your existing one, Mahan Dental Law is here to help. Our experienced attorneys have assisted dental practice owners nationwide in ensuring they comply with applicable state and federal regulations. Contact Mahan Dental Law to schedule a complimentary case evaluation.
