All surface disinfectants, i.e. antimicrobials, sold in the United States are regulated under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) because antimicrobials are in fact pesticides. Under FIFRA, the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for regulating,…
On February 1, 2017, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) civil penalty of $3.2 million against Children’s Medical Center of Dallas based on its breach of…
With flu season upon us, dental staff should be screening patients for aerosol transmissible diseases (ATDs) such as influenza, measles, and tuberculosis prior to treating patients. In California, Cal/OSHA's Aerosol Transmissible Disease Standard requires healthcare providers, including dental offices, to…
Documented Infection Transmission from DUWLs In April 2016, twenty pediatric dental patients had to be hospitalized due to infection transmission of Mycobacterium abscessus from contaminated dental unit water used during pulpotomies. And from March-August 2016, 58 pediatric patients became infected…
In an effort to identify and deter prescription drug abuse and diversion, in September 2016, California Governor Brown signed Senate Bill (SB) 482 into law. SB 482, which takes effect on July 1, 2017, requires all healthcare providers who are…
Last month, the California Department of Justice and the California Department of Consumer Affairs issued a joint notification to all affected parties that the CURES 1.0 system will no longer be available after Saturday, March 4, 2017. The old system…
For California dentists who’ve ever lost sleep worrying about compliance with state, federal and Dental Board regulations! When you order OSHA Review, you’ll understand why dentists in California have relied on their subscriptions for more than twenty years. You’ll receive…
According to the American Dental Association (ADA), the White House’s memorandum dated January 20, 2017, to freeze all or new pending regulations includes the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final rule, which would require dental offices to install amalgam separators. The…
It is that time of year again, time for employers to post a copy of OSHA’s Form 300A Summary, which summarizes job-related injuries and illnesses logged during 2016. The summary must be displayed in a common area where notices to…
In October, 2016, the ADA adopted a new ADA Statement on the Use of Opioids in the Treatment of Dental Pain, which provides recommendations for dentists on prescribing opioids to patients. In addition to specific practice recommendations, the statement urges…
