On June 14, 2022, the US Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology and the US Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) jointly announced an update to the Security Risk Assessment…
The US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently introduced a new mobile app called DentalCheck, which consists of an infection prevention checklist to help dental healthcare personnel assess the infection control policies and procedures in their facility and ensure they…
Our blog post from April 25, 2022, lists Cal/OSHA’s third revisions to the COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS), which took effect on May 6, 2022 and will expire on December 31, 2022. One of the changes concerns the isolation…
Recently, there have been more and more reports about cyberattacks affecting businesses of all sizes nationwide. The latest one affecting the dental industry struck the American Dental Association (ADA) on April 22, 2022, when hackers targeted their networks, forcing the…
On April 21, 2022, Cal/OSHA’s Standards Board approved the 3rd amendment to the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) originally adopted in November 2020, readopted in June 2021, and readopted for the second time in December 2021. The third amendment is made possible by…
In the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) dated April 1, 2022, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published updated guidelines on hepatitis B (HBV) vaccination. The MMWR calls for universal HBV immunization for ALL adults aged…
Historical evidence, as recently as ten years ago, has shown that dentists have been among the leading prescribers of opioid analgesics in the United States, most often for surgical tooth extractions. However, withinthe last few years, leading dental organizations have…
Tobacco use and dependence is one of the most important public health issues in the United States. Last month, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported on both positive and concerning results regarding tobacco use in the…
When hiring new unlicensed dental assistants (DAs) in California, employer must provide proper and effective occupational safety and health training to ensure employee and patient safety. The following Dental Board of California (DBC) and Cal/OSHA training courses must be provided…
On March 28, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) announced four new enforcement actions against healthcare providers for violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule. Three of…
