Tom Terry Seminars

Dr. David W. Wistrom, DDS

Tom Terry — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 16:34:49 +0000

Family & Cosmetic Dentistry – located at 6815 Five Star Blvd., Suite 110, Rocklin CA, 95677, Phone: 916.630.7633

Dr. Wistrom and his Professional Dental Team has no limits when it comes to delivering “Excellence in Patient Safety and Infection Control”, patient safety is paramount in this office!

Waste Management – Amalgam

Tom Terry — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 17:49:27 +0000

No doubt, with the advancement of dentistry and the introduction of new composite materials, amalgam days are numbered. In fact, the phrase “Mercury Free Dentistry” has grown a good momentum among dental offices. However, amalgam is still here, still being removed from patients, and still needs to be disposed of properly. Here are some suggestions,

Install an Amalgam Separator.
Obtain an Amalgam Waste Management System
Establish a written policies & procedures for handling and disposing of amalgam
Amalgam traps and amalgam waste, no matter how small of amount must be captured and disposed in the Amalgam Management System.
Empty plastic amalgam capsules must be disposed in the Amalgam Management System
Chair-side traps must be disposed in the Amalgam Management System
Unused amalgam capsules must be stored in a secure container and properly labeled.
Do not store amalgam waste for more than six months.

Dental Compliance – Mandatory Courses

Tom Terry — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 14:58:15 +0000

Q: What OSHA courses do I need to renew my license?

A: The courses needed to renew your license made mandatory by the Dental Board are the Dental Practice Act (2 hours) and the Dental Board Infection Control Regulations (2 hours) which neither are OSHA.

Dental Compliance – Safety Mindset

Tom Terry — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:57:19 +0000

Staff and patient safety must be blended into the daily activities and responsibilities. Safety isn’t something that is add-on when it is convenient or cost effective. The mindset of the Dental Profession towards safety in general must change otherwise staff and patient casualties will be astronomical.

Dental Compliance – After Hours Phone Message

Tom Terry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 15:09:40 +0000

After hours phone message must provide clear and complete instructions to the caller. The message should include the following,

The hours of operation
How to leave a message
In case of a medical emergency hang-up and call 911
How to contact the doctor in case of a dental related emergency
How to contact an on-call doctor when the doctor is not available.

Business 101 – Business Blues?

Tom Terry — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 14:44:38 +0000

Are you working on your business or are you working in your business?

When you are working on your business you are in the driver’s seat. You are in command of business growth, direction, and profitability. You have created a support team that sees to the day-to-day tasks, leaving you with plenty of time to spare or use in another ways, life is pretty good.

However when you work in your business you are trying to get things done by yourself with no end in sight. You are trying to get through the day which seams like an endless loop. Your staff is going in different directions; you have more problems than solutions. Yes you are busy and your practice is busy, but being “busy” isn’t much of a business indicator especially when it comes to profits, after all you can be “busy” reading the mail or digging a hole. First and foremost your dental practice is a business and if you are lacking the knowledge that will take you out of your business so that you can start to work on your business hire an expert, doing everything yourself to save a few bucks is Old School and it doesn’t work anymore!

Dental Compliance – Universal Waste

Tom Terry — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 15:08:49 +0000

Q: What is Universal Waste and does it concern dental offices?

A: Universal Waste refers to items like batteries, fluorescent light tubes, neon bulbs, electronic devices, devices containing mercury, and non-empty aerosol cans containing hazardous materials to name a few. The California Universal Waste Rule makes it mandatory for businesses which includes dental offices to collect Universal Waste and dispose of it properly meaning either having your waste management service remove it or deposit the items at a collection center. Many cities are adding specific items to the list so it is best to check with the city which your dental office is located to find out what additional items are regulated. By regulations you cannot throw Universal Waste in the trash.

Employee Training – New Employee Orientation

Tom Terry — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:08:18 +0000

Assuming that new hires both experience and inexperienced know what to do to maintain the standard of your office is risky business. Take the time and orientate all new hires to the policies and procedures of your office and constantly test their understanding of your standard. I suggest conducting a New Employee Orientation for the first ten days of employment and longer if needed, the areas of focus should be patient safety, patient information security, infection control, OSHA, Consumer Affairs and office policies & procedures. The key to successfully maintaining a standard is making sure everyone is on the same page. By the way, employee training should be conducted a minimum of once a year and for maximum results onsite!

Dental Compliance – Employee Training

Tom Terry — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 15:59:30 +0000

Training is a process that improves knowledge and skills and information is the key ingredient for all training. Information must be current, specific to the job, presented by a qualified instructor and conducted yearly. Reducing employee training or looking to cut training costs by doing it yourself is ludicrous. Investing in employee training will payoff many times over and it is a critical element for a Patient Compliant office!

Dental Compliance – Five Things You Should Do

Tom Terry — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 16:38:08 +0000

Five things you should do during inspections,

Ask questions
Take notes and photos
Don’t argue with the inspector
Walk around with the inspector
Ask the inspector for their suggestions