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In dentistry's dynamic and ever-evolving field, compliance is a cornerstone of trust and operational excellence. Ensuring that a dental practice adheres to regulations and standards safeguards the practice and enhances patient trust and satisfaction. However, navigating the complexities of compliance can be daunting for many practice owners. The weight of staying compliant with ever-changing regulations and standards can often feel overwhelming, consuming valuable time and resources that could be better spent on patient care.
Understanding these challenges, we recently connected with Derek from Toothe, a dental compliance company dedicated to simplifying compliance for dental offices. In our interview, Derek shared insights into the importance of compliance and how his company helps dental practices manage this crucial aspect of their operations.
Can you share your personal experience that led you to create Toothe?
"February 13, 2011, was not the best day I've ever had at work. That day, an adversary launched an online attack aimed at destroying my reputation and practice. Unbeknownst to me, approximately four months prior, someone with whom I had entrusted legitimate access stole a large portion of my clinic's patient records.
These stolen records were used to create a robocall campaign to phone my patients that displayed "Alberta Health Services" and a recording telling them that Dr. Nordstrom had Hepatitis and that they or their families may have been exposed.
Luckily, I was able to quickly confirm from the actual Alberta Health Services that this was not true (also, I did not have Hepatitis) and through social media and the newspaper, I communicated to both my patients and the community at large that this was a hoax.
In the weeks following this event, numerous individuals, both patients and colleagues, contacted me with messages of support and assurance. Flowers, cards, and best wishes arrived at my office daily. The community's support on social media was overwhelming.
The attack that attempted to ruin my business had the opposite effect – my business became busier! I went from booking three days ahead to three weeks ahead. Patients were phoning my office to book appointments to support me. It was nothing short of miraculous!
It was also the beginning of my personal and professional journey into the world of information security and privacy compliance, culminating in founding my dental compliance company, Toothe."
How does Tooth differentiate itself from other compliance solutions in the market?
"I have been in the trenches, practicing dentistry for almost 20 years. I have seen the steady march of progress over my career, how dental laws have changed and grown, and how compliance has become more difficult, confusing, and burdensome.
I was practising in 2007 when the Vegreveille Hospital was shut down due to sterilization failures, resulting in new dental IPC laws that added time, complexity and expense to our practices.
I was practising in 2011 when the Health Information Act was introduced, and we were required to start submitting Privacy Impact Assessments to the OIPC.
I was practising in 2016 when tragedy struck at Dr. Bill Mather's office, and the rules for sedation and general anesthesia were drastically heightened.
Dentists are experts in oral health, not necessarily in writing policy manuals. As the owner of three dental offices, I have experienced the difficulty of compliance firsthand.
I knew there had to be a better way than each Dentist trying to figure out compliance independently. That is why I started Toothe: to simplify compliance and save dentists time and money by allowing them to focus on what really matters—patient care."
Can you explain the Total Compliance Solution (TCS) package and what it includes for those unfamiliar with it?
"Toothe's Total Compliance Solution is a never-before-seen product that covers all areas of dental office compliance described above: Privacy, IPC, OHS, Radiation, and Office Manual.
Completing a simple online questionnaire for each manual is all that is required. Toothe will then create office-specific customized manuals.
Each manual includes a Quick Start Guide, Log Book, Templates and Forms, Staff Training Resources, and an Annual Review Checklist to aid in implementation.
Toothe Secure Messenger is included for secure and encrypted patient health information sharing and referrals to other dental offices.
Finally, ongoing support is included to remind you to do your annual reviews, and we automatically update your manuals when dental laws change.
With Toothe's Total Compliance Solution, you can finally stop fearing compliance and embrace Toothe's simple and easy Total Compliance Solution."
How does Toothe Secure Messenger enhance communication and compliance within a dental practice?
"Privacy compliance ensures that your practice's collection, use, disclosure, and protection of health information comply with the Health Information Act (HIA).
Most dental practices now utilize electronic health records to store health information and electronic methods to send or share health information with other dentists or providers. The HIA defines any electronic system storing or sharing health information as an "Information Manager."
The HIA requires all information managers to comply with encryption and security standards. In particular, all information managers must utilize the following three key components:
- Unique Login IDs – each individual user must be uniquely identifiable and have their own login ID and password.
- Tiered Access – user access and privileges must be tiered and based on the individual user's role, such as job position.
- Access Event Logging – all create, edit, view, and delete functions must be recorded on a per user basis.
You must ensure that the information managers you use to store and share health information are HIA compliant.
Sending health information outside the four walls of your practice is the riskiest activity your admin team performs. A simple copy/paste error or a mistyped email address could send confidential health information to the wrong party.
Consumer email programs and file-sharing services are not compliant with the HIA due to the lack of unique login IDs, tiered access, and access event logging.
Toothe Secure Messenger is your solution for seamless, secure, and compliant messaging and communication with other dentists to share X-rays, files, referrals, and CBCT scans. "
How does Toothe stay current with regulatory changes and ensure that dental practices are always compliant?
"We monitor the regulatory agencies that oversee dental practices for updates and changes to legislation, standards of practice, bylaws, and codes. When regulations change we will update the manuals, training systems, templates and forms for every Toothe Total Compliance Solution member to ensure they have the tools they need to comply with the updated requirements. What are the most common compliance issues dental practices face, and how does Toothe address them? The most common reasons we hear why dental offices are not compliant:
"I have bigger fish to fry" – willful ignorance of compliance. "I have a nice blue binder that I paid a lot of money for; isn't that good enough?" – wishful thinking. You need to read and implement your manuals if you pay someone else to write them. "I don't understand what I need to do" –No time. The laws are complicated and dental professionals/office managers are very busy.
Toothe simplifies compliance by providing an easy-to-read manual, a Quick Start Guide for to speed implementation, concise staff training resources, and an Annual Review Checklist for each manual to help ensure ongoing review and implementation are accomplished. What future developments or enhancements can we expect from Toothe? We are constantly improving Toothe. While we have major steps on our roadmap that we are continually working towards, user feedback is the primary source of our minor day-to-day improvements. Just today, for example, I personally called two users who had independently suggested improving how notes in Toothe are formatted. We fixed the issue, and now Toothe is better for everyone. I cannot stress enough how valuable the feedback from our users has been and will continue to be as Toothe grows!"
A comprehensive compliance solution is crucial for dental practices to avoid the risks and potential consequences of non-compliance. Non-compliance can lead to significant legal and financial repercussions, damage to the practice's reputation, and a loss of patient trust. Toothe's Total Compliance Solution (TCS) ensures that dental practices remain compliant with all regulatory requirements, thereby protecting their operations and maintaining the highest standards of patient care. By investing in a robust compliance system like TCS, dental practices can focus on delivering exceptional patient care, ensuring that their compliance needs are expertly managed.
