News

What to Do After a Needlestick Injury or Exposure Incident at a Medical or Dental Office
What to Do After a Needlestick Injury or Exposure Incident at a Medical or Dental Office
Needlestick injuries should be handled quickly and carefully. Learn the basic steps employees and employers should follow after a sharps injury or exposure incident, including first aid, reporting, medical evaluation,... Read more...
How do I get my Dental Practice in Compliance with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard?
How do I get my Dental Practice in Compliance with OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard?
To ensure compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standard (29 CFR 1910.1030), a dentist or any healthcare provider that has employees with the potential for... Read more...
Understanding the Primary OSHA Regulations that Apply to Medical and Dental Facilities
Understanding the Primary OSHA Regulations that Apply to Medical and Dental Facilities
 Most of us already know that OSHA plays a major role in setting and enforcing standards that protect employees from all sorts of workplace hazards. In healthcare and dentistry there... Read more...
OSHA Penalizes Dentists for Silencing Safety Concerns
Dr. Monzer K. Al-Dadah, a dentist based in Peoria, IL, faced scrutiny when he terminated a dental assistant of over 20 years who raised concerns about the risk of coronavirus infection at the workplace. The assistant, upon feeling endangered by a particular work assignment potentially leading to exposure to the virus, refused it. Additionally, the assistant voiced concerns regarding workplace safety protocols with her employer. Investigations by OSHA revealed that Dr. Al-Dadah had acted upon learning about a safety complaint lodged with OSHA in March 2020. He sought to identify the... Read more...
Unprotected Health Information on Unsecured Server Leads to $75,000 Settlement with iHealth Solutions
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has settled potential violations of HIPAA Privacy and Security Rules with Kentucky-based iHealth Solutions (also known as Advantum Health). The settlement centers around a data breach in which the protected health information of 267 individuals was left unsecured on the internet, a clear violation of HIPAA rules that demand stringent protection of health information. OCR Director Melanie Fontes Rainer emphasized the importance of HIPAA business associates protecting the privacy and security of health information they handle, ensuring... Read more...
From Bad Online Reviews to Regulatory Action: The $30K HIPAA Lesson
From Bad Online Reviews to Regulatory Action: The $30K HIPAA Lesson
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Office for Civil Rights (OCR), has announced a settlement with Manasa Health Center, LLC.  This settlement is the culmination of a... Read more...
Surviving an OSHA Inspection: A Step-by-Step Guide
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is a government agency that ensures safe and healthy working conditions by enforcing standards and regulations. If OSHA shows up at your healthcare or dental facility it's probably for an inspection. Here are steps to consider: Be Prepared: The best way to handle an OSHA inspection is to be prepared. This means having your exposure control plan and other safety policies in place, training employees, and regularly checking and maintaining your facility to avoid accidents and injuries. Our 2023 OSHA Compliance System for Healthcare... Read more...
What’s the difference between HIPAA Privacy and Security?
What’s the difference between HIPAA Privacy and Security?
One of the most common questions we receive is to explain the difference between the two HIPAA regulations. Although the Privacy and Security Rule work together, they’re distinct have have... Read more...
Can You Hear Me Now? Protecting your Hearing in the Dental Office
 One of the more difficult concepts of hearing loss is that it’s referred to as a “cumulative and additive” phenomenon. It’s a slow process that usually results from small exposures over a long period of time. Due to this incremental progression along with the fact that it can be painless, hearing loss can go unnoticed until damage is already extensive and irreversible. OSHA sets the legal limits on noise exposure in the workplace. These limits are based on an employee’s 8-hour time-weighted average (TWA) over a workday. For noise, OSHA’s... Read more...
How to Keep Your Medical or Dental Office OSHA Compliant
For dentists and physicians alike, running a busy practice can be daunting enough without the burden of keeping up with OSHA compliance. Annual requirements include providing OSHA training for your staff, policy reviews and typically an inspection of your facility to look for other potential issues. Number one, you can absolutely do this yourself and it doesn't have to be overwhelming, time consuming or expensive. One of the biggest challenge is being aware of how quickly time can pass and how fast OSHA training records, policies and other documentation requirements can become outdated. Fortunately,... Read more...
HIPAA in 2022. Do we need encryption?
HIPAA in 2022. Do we need encryption?
Do we need encryption? It's simple question, but unfortunately the answer isn't as easy. Health and Human Services (HHS) technically says encryption falls under an implementation specification that's "addressable". So, no it might... Read more...
How to Comply with OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard for COVID-19
What are medical and dental offices required to do? OSHA's Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) requires employers to provide COVID-19 training to employees and ensure a safe and healthful work environment in accordance with the provisions identified in the ETS. Fortunately, most medical and dental facilities will only have to comply with the provisions listed below and not have to adopt the mini respiratory standard required by the ETS when employees are providing care for suspected or known COVID-19 patients.  Healthcare and Dental Facilities. The ETS is limited to healthcare because data shows that there is a substantial risk to employee health while caring for... Read more...