Dental Practitioners Handle Sensitive Information About Patients Everyday: Make Sure You Are HIPAA Compliant

By Scott Ruthstrom, COO, FDA Services

Dentists are responsible for ensuring the confidentiality of their patients’ health information, security and privacy. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is a federal law that was enacted to protect patient health information. Since dental practitioners handle sensitive information about their patients every day, it is crucial that they comply with HIPAA regulations. This article will discuss why dentists should take HIPAA seriously and how they can ensure they are compliant.

Why HIPAA matters for dental practitioners

Dentists handle sensitive patient information, including medical histories, x-rays and other critical data. HIPAA requires that dental practitioners maintain this information’s confidentiality, integrity and availability and ensure that it is protected from unauthorized access or disclosure. Demonstrating compliance is vital in maintaining patients’ trust in their dental care providers and safeguarding their privacy. Moreover, HIPAA violations can result in substantial fines, negative publicity and loss of patient trust.

How to ensure HIPAA compliance

Dentists can ensure HIPPA compliance by taking the following steps:

1. Educate Staff: HIPAA training should be provided to all employees who handle or access patient information, including receptionists, hygienists and dental assistants.

2. Implement Privacy Policies: Dental offices should have written policies and procedures for handling patient information and ensure that all staff members know them. These policies should include guidelines for handling sensitive information, disposing of confidential data and ensuring the privacy of patients.

3. Secure Electronic Information: Electronic Health Records and other electronic systems should be protected with strong passwords, encryption and firewalls. Dental practitioners must take steps to secure electronic patient information from unauthorized access, theft or loss.

4. Limit Access: Only authorized individuals should have access to patient information, and access should be restricted based on the “need to know” principle. Dentists must ensure that patient information is only accessible to those who require it for their job responsibilities.

5. Dispose of Information Securely: When disposing of physical or electronic patient information, it should be done to ensure that it cannot be accessed by unauthorized individuals. Confidential information must be disposed of securely to prevent any breaches of privacy.

HIPAA compliance is a critical aspect of a dental practice, and dentists have a legal and ethical obligation to protect the privacy of their patients. Having complete and accurate policies and procedures is essential to any compliance program to ensure patient information is handled properly and securely. By implementing a HIPAA compliance program, practitioners can avoid legal and financial consequences, protect their patients’ information and maintain their trust. As an ongoing process requiring constant attention and diligence, it is vital to provide quality dental care.

Are you looking for the right partner to help you implement and sustain compliance? Check out our preferred vendor partner, Abyde. Their HIPAA for Covered Entities and OSHA for Healthcare was built by health IT professionals, legal experts and seasoned developers. Abyde’s revolutionary software is the easiest way for any sized dental practice to become compliant. With Abyde, never stress over compliance again.

With Abyde’s HIPAA for Covered Entities solution, you will experience ease of use from start to finish. From the Security Risk Analysis to dynamically generated policies and procedures, Abyde automates your HIPAA compliance journey so you can focus on what matters most, your patients. And they don’t just stop at the software. By leading with education, Abyde offers training for all staff and removes the stress of knowing when and how to complete your annual requirements. Should you ever experience a true HIPAA emergency, Abyde and their customer success team have your back.

Go to app.abyde.com/demo/selectstate to schedule your demo.

By Lianne Bell, FDA Leadership Affairs Manager

On Friday, Jan. 20, 2023, the FDA’s Leadership Development Committee (LDC) hosted its premier program, Leaders Emerging Among Dentistry (LEAD), at the Tampa Airport Marriott hotel. LEAD is free for any Florida Dental Association (FDA) member dentist and Florida dental students. Hosted annually by the LDC with support from the FDA’s Board of Trustees (BOT), LEAD aims to provide attendees with various offerings that teach leadership skills and showcase leadership opportunities within the FDA.

This year, LEAD kicked off with guest speaker Velma Knowles, a certified leadership coach, who gave a presentation on communication styles. Ms. Knowles guided the attendees through a process by which they could identify their primary style of communicating and learn more about other communication styles. Insight into how people communicate and receive communication is essential for dentists who interact daily with team members and patients.

Attendees heard two presentations from FDA staff. The first, from FDA Chief Legislative Officer Joe Anne Hart, gave attendees background on the FDA’s legislative efforts at the state level and the importance of grassroots advocates. Attendees had the opportunity to see what happens at committee meetings and how subject matter experts debate proposed legislation before the committee. The FDA and its leadership work hard to keep Florida legislators informed of issues impacting the profession of dentistry as well as working to protect the oral health of all Floridians. FDA Director of Foundation Affairs

R. Jai Gillum shared about the state’s premier charitable organization for dentistry, the FDA Foundation. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of the FDA. It runs several highly successful programs throughout the state to unite people and organizations to make a difference through better oral health.

Finally, the program wrapped up with roundtable discussions about leadership. It ended with a networking reception that included the members of the House of Delegates and the FDA’s BOT.

Thank you to the members of the LDC for their time and efforts in planning and hosting such a successful event!

For more information on the LEAD program and to view future dates and plans, please visit floridadental.org/lead

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