January 19, 2023

You know the drill, no pun intended. The hygienist finishes a cleaning and hands the patient their goody bag full of all the fun things, including a toothbrush and dental floss. While this has become the norm for the practice and the patient, there is a good reason for it. Hygienists are taught to preach good oral hygiene, and it’s no secret that most patients that brush and floss regularly will experience better oral health and require less invasive treatment down the road. 

But what about those patients who don’t follow the advice or over time fall out of best practice? Yes, we’re looking at you, guy who only flosses the night before their appointment. The patient is typically aware of their intermittent compliance but since they are asymptomatic, they continue hoping for the best and vow to do better after the next cleaning. Then as it usually does, life happens and they cancel their next cleaning. And with the best of intentions, they plan to reschedule but keep forgetting. Disease begins to take hold. If the patient is fortunate, they return to the office before the issue is too serious and it can be resolved with a relatively simple treatment plan. Those less fortunate may require more involved and expensive procedures.

So you’re probably wondering by now, how does any of this tie back to Abyde, a healthcare software company? Well, we’ve brought in one of our Abyde Ambassadors to tie it all together. 

Michael Wilgus shares his experience from the last 20 years in the industry. “Ironically, I have seen a similar scenario in hundreds of practices regarding HIPAA and OSHA compliance. A practice starts out with positive intent and implements what they believe is a strong and complete compliance program. Things get busy, there is turnover, and compliance gets pushed to the back burner. When violations or inspections occur (because they are not an if situation), they are usually due to a knowledge gap or are accidental, and may even be asymptomatic to the practice owner.” 

With HIPAA, if an event is reported, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) may choose to implement a corrective action plan (think treatment plan) for the practice. That plan can be expensive, time-consuming, and involve an OCR specialist monitoring your progress regularly for an extended period. The U.S. Department of Labor isn’t missing out on the fun either. They are actively ramping up their OSHA program by hiring more investigators and estimate their budget to increase by 14.7%, going from $612 Million in the fiscal year 2022 to $701 million in 2023.

The average penalty levied on a dental practice in 2022 for a HIPAA violation was measured in the tens of thousands of dollars; one estimate shows it to be approximately $45,000. Sacrificing the net revenue from months’ worth of crowns is something most practices cannot afford. When it comes to OSHA, the punch-to-the-gut penalties are nothing to chuckle at. And let’s not forget the recent increase in these dollar amounts. 
Achieving and maintaining compliance when using services from Abyde takes less time than a patient should spend brushing and flossing, and if we can humble brag for a minute – we make it easy and fun! Brushing and flossing are not only good for your patients but are also good for your practice. Ready to get your practice’s compliance hygiene up to par?