• The Dental Practice Act
• Sterilization
• Patient Safety
• Dental Board Infection Control
• HIPAA
• Radiation Safety
• Environmental Heath Management
• Human Recourses

Dental Professionals must look beyond the “OSHA mentality” and take responsibility to find out what they need in order to be competent in their duties. They also need to change their mindset from doing only the minimum to adding value in everything they do.

Why?  its simple; Dental Offices are regulated by more than OSHA, depending on the county and city your practice is located in; it can be as many as seven agencies!

However, if you look beyond your OSHA training and gain an understanding of the compliance makeup you will also gain an appreciation that compliance regulation is an essential part of your business operations, both in growing your practice and maintaining your practice, not to mention reducing financial risk. Today compliance has taken on a whole new meaning, it is no longer a back office issue; it is a “total” practice philosophy.  Compliance is good – good for the staff, good for the patient and good for the practice.  So think “Dental Compliance” and not just OSHA.

When choosing a seminar or compliance service you should select on the bases of getting quality how-to information from an expert, the kind of information and expertise that produces results and moves your office forward. Stop listening to those who sell gimmicks and produce nothing but BS.  This choice will cost you many times over in fines, citations, and litigation. Remember these two life teachings – “if it sounds too good to be true, it isn’t” and “you get what you paid for”

A: I wonder what your hygienists tell the employer at the other office they work at???

There is a lot more to dental compliance than OSHA, in my seminar OSHA is only 5% of the material I present.. I am amazed why dentist leave out key employees in meetings, trainings or seminars then think their office is compliant and everyone is on the same page as a “team”. I am also amazed why dentists allow their hygienists to refuse to follow policies & procedures or do things their way – are they not EMPLOYEES and are you not the EMPLOYER, get it?

Hygienists, why do you feel that you are above everyone else in the office and that there is nothing new to learn because you have infinite intelligence? How do you expect to contribute to the standard of the office and be a team player when you are not even close to being on the right page?

Now before I start getting a ton of hate email let me clear something up, my comments ARE NOT directed to ALL hygienists, I have worked with some of the greatest hygienists in the profession, these people in my mind are TRUE healthcare professionals of the highest caliber, they know who they are and they make-up only 2% of the hygienists population.

Bottom line, in order to be a Patient Compliant office that provides “Excellence in Patient Safety and Infection Control” every member of the team MUST be pulling in the same direction. Every member must add value to what they do, be able to teach others by example and themselves be teachable.

1. Online OSHA training
2. OSHA training videos
3. OSHA monthly newsletter service
4. Attend dental associations seminars & conventions
5. OSHA training provided by a dental supply representative
6. OSHA training provided by their waste management company
7. Compliance Manuals which they download from a dental association
8. Compliance Manuals provided by their waste management company
9. Service from compliance service companies who guaranteed to pay any fines

Dental compliance training is a hands-on, show me learning process that should be conducted in your office by an expert.

A:  A compliance manual is a complex project requiring research and specialized expertise.  When written properly it reflects the policies & procedures of your office based upon the guidelines and regulations from nine regulatory agencies.  Also it must be kept current as new regulations are published.  The fact is both time and money will be spent on writing your compliance manual no matter who does the work, the difference will be how long, how much, and the end results. To answer your question, I do not recommend writing your own compliance manual and I also do not recommend patients do their own dental work, instead seek the service of an expert.

A:  When it comes to compliance and infection control training I believe onsite seminars offer a huge advantage over open seminars. Think about it – using your office as the model, an onsite seminar now becomes personalized training and hands-on guidance that produces immediate tangible results, something that cannot be accomplish while sitting in a conference or meeting room. Don’t get me wrong, open seminars provide valuable information and positive learning environments, I personally conduct 22 open seminars each year, but some critical skill concepts must be shown and not told; it’s like trying to do dentistry over the phone.

Management must keep policies & procedures current and enforced, during an inspection the inspector will review the Compliance Manual, Posters, and postings to determine if policies & procedures for compliance are established and enforced.  The inspector will interview employees, if simple questions get answers like “I think we do”, “I’m not sure”, or “I don’t know”, the inspector will come to a quick conclusion that compliance doesn’t exist; this is not a good thing!