News — Compliance Training

Many states require that Dentists (and even staff members) maintain current BLS, ACLS and/or PALS. Additionally, there are requirements that Dentists have and maintain suitable emergency oxygen and have emergency drugs "as a reasonable Dentist with your training and experience."As a State Board Investigator, I investigated patient deaths and hospitalizations. I saw the real life consequences for Dentists who were not prepared for Medical Emergencies in their practice. Not only do you have the legal and administrative hassles, the worst consequence is that you have to live with yourself. Medical Emergencies are real and being prepared is vital. It starts...

911, What's Your Emergency? It is not a matter of ‘if’, but which (and how severe) a medical emergency will occur in your dental office. People, your patients, are sick as they have every been. Even without sedation in the equation you never know when it will be someone’s time to have an emergency. When it occurs in your office you have to be able to competently deal with it to ensure the best patient outcome. In many states, dentists are required to have a written medical emergency plan, written medical emergency policies/procedures/protocols, and medical emergency training for their staff. This...

I tell all my clients to devise a system to track their credentials and their team members' as well....all of them. Dentists can be disciplined by their state Dental Board, disqualified by insurance companies, excluded from participation in government programs (Medicaid), even criminally prosecuted for practicing with expired credentials. While Dental Assistants and Hygienists are required to maintain their own licensure, Dentists can be disciplined for allowing them to practice with expired credentials, so, for this reason, it is essential that every staff members' credentials are carefully tracked and renewed promptly.Track the following:  1. Dental license2. Medical license (if applicable)3....

Daily perspective (pre-bill) audits help identify and minimizes billing errors by ensuring the accuracy of claims before they are submitted. This step alone can help compliance programs pay for themselves. Periodic retrospective audits involve the detailed review of clinical and billing records for compliance with state and federal recordkeeping and billing requirements. Some items to check include verifying the quality and quantity of radiographs, consent for treatment, proper coding, clinical notes to support each claim that was billed, and medical necessity.

My mantra is: “If It Is Not Written, It Did Not Happen!” Record audits must be documented. In the face of a fraud allegation this documentation can help your defense attorney make their case.