Regulatory compliance is critical for dental practices, but it can be challenging to stay on top of, especially for busy practice owners. Complying with local, state, and federal regulations can feel confusing and time-consuming, especially with seemingly ever-changing rules and regulations. Compliance also requires behind-the-scenes inspections and administrative work.
At Mahan Law – Dental Attorney, we provide effective, tailored legal representation for dental practice owners. Our team can help you ensure your dental practice complies with federal laws like HIPAA and OSHA. We can also help you ensure you’re compliant with local regulations and state dental board requirements. Our experienced team can handle every aspect of regulatory compliance so you can focus on managing your dental practice.
Assisting Dental Practice Owners with Regulatory Compliance
Working with an attorney can help dental practice owners navigate the complex regulatory compliance landscape. With our experience in dental law, our attorneys can provide you with personalized counsel tailored to your dental practice’s specific needs. When you work with Mahan Law – Dental Attorney, we will conduct thorough assessments to identify potential gaps in compliance, recommend best practices, and develop staff training programs.
We can help you develop a process to document training and compliance to protect your dental practice if you are audited in the future. By offering ongoing assistance with regulatory compliance, our attorneys can help you minimize the risk of lawsuits, fines, and penalties so you can concentrate on delivering quality patient care and managing your practice efficiently.
How to Comply with HIPAA as a Dental Practice Owner
Dental practices must comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), a federal law establishing the standards for protecting patients’ sensitive health information. To comply with HIPAA, dental practices must implement policies and procedures to keep patient data secure and confidential.
HIPAA compliance requires training staff on privacy practices, securing electronic health records, and ensuring the security and protection of all communication involving patient information. Establishing HIPAA compliance procedures and updating them as needed protects patients’ privacy and mitigates the risk of potential legal consequences associated with data breaches.
OSHA Compliance for Dental Practices
Dental practices must adhere to the safety standards the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires. OSHA regulations protect employees from workplace hazards. This includes appropriately managing infectious materials and personal protective equipment (PPE) requirements, such as using gloves, masks, and eye protection to minimize exposure to hazardous materials. Maintaining a clean and organized work environment and proper waste disposal practices can prevent OSHA violations.
How to Comply with State Dental Board Regulations
Each state has a dental board that imposes regulations related to obtaining a dental license and owning a dental practice. Dental practices must understand and adhere to their state’s dental board’s specific licensing and operational requirements. For example, practice owners must maintain valid licenses for all dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants.
Owners must also ensure their facilities meet state cleanliness, safety, and equipment maintenance standards. Regularly updating policies on infection control, documentation, and patient consent and training staff on these policies is essential. Most state dental boards require practices to have written protocols in place. Our legal team can help you stay informed about any changes in regulations in the state or states where you’re operating a dental practice.
Adhering to Patient Consent Laws as a Dental Practice Owner
Dental practices must comply with patient consent laws. This requires providing clear, comprehensive information about dental treatment options. Staff should also clearly communicate the potential risks and benefits to the patient in a way that each patient can understand. Dental professionals should create an environment where patients feel comfortable asking questions and expressing concerns about treatment options.
Dental staff should always ensure that consent forms are signed and the patient can read and carefully consider the form. Regular training for staff discussing the legalities surrounding consent can help ensure compliance. Receiving informed consent can improve patient trust and outcomes. Finally, maintaining transparency and discussing treatment plans fosters a respectful relationship that is important to provide effective patient care.
Medicare and Medicaid Regulations
If a dental practice provides services covered by Medicare or Medicaid, it must comply with additional regulations related to billing and patient care standards. Specifically, staff members in charge of billing need to understand the specific billing codes and comply with documentation requirements and reporting standards mandated by Medicare and Medicaid.
For procedures to be covered, they must be shown to be medically necessary and authorized by state guidelines. Showing medical necessity often requires maintaining accurate patient records and submitting claims that reflect the services provided by your dental practice. Mahan Law – Dental Attorney can help you stay informed about any changes in Medicare or Medicaid policies to avoid potential audits or reimbursement issues.
Utilizing Regulatory Compliance Software
If you own multiple dental practices, you’ll need to know what’s going on in each location. At Mahan Law – Dental Attorney, we can help you audit regulatory compliance practices across multiple dental practices and work with you to adopt software to ensure your locations comply more easily. Regulatory compliance software includes each location’s workforce compliance module and improvement plans. Utilizing software can also drive joint improvements. For example, if one of your dental practices has high audit scores in a particular area, we can help you examine how they are achieving high scores and share this information with other dental practices.
Contact a Regulatory Compliance Attorney
Complying with numerous local and federal regulations can be daunting if you own a dental practice. At Mahan Law – Dental Attorney, we provide effective legal counsel to dental practices nationwide. We are prepared to answer your questions and help you develop an effective regulatory compliance strategy for your dental practice. Contact Mahan Law – Dental Attorney to schedule a free consultation.
