HIPAA-covered dental offices must notify the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) of any breaches of protected health information PHI affecting fewer than 500 patients within 60 days of the end of the calendar year…
In January, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued updated medical x-ray protection guidelines, replacing the 1976 version. Developed in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Federal OSHA, the guidelines are voluntary only, but can…
In 2013, OSHA revised its Hazard Communication (Hazcom) Standard to align with the United Nation’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS). Affecting mostly chemical manufacturers, distributors, and importers, the major changes to the Hazcom Standard require…
In November 2014, the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new extended-release, single-entity opioid analgesic with abuse-deterrent properties. The drug, Hysingla ER, comes in tablet form that is difficult to crush, break, or dissolve, or as a…
With the measles outbreak in California and the flu outbreaks nationwide, dental staff need to make sure they are screening patients for these diseases prior to treating patients. In California, Cal/OSHA's Aerosol Transmissible Disease (ATD) Standard requires healthcare providers to…
“In general, for patients with prosthetic joint implants, prophylactic antibiotics are not recommended prior to dental procedures to prevent prosthetic joint infection. The practitioner and patient should consider possible clinical circumstances that may suggest the presence of a significant medical…
“Documented occupational acquisition to HIV infection in healthcare workers has become rare in the United States,” states the January 9th edition of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Since 1999, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has been notified…
In early December, the Internal Revenue Service released the 2015 optional standard mileage rates used to calculate the deductible costs of operating an automobile for business, charitable, medical or moving purposes. Beginning January 1, 2015, the new rates will be:…
OSHA’s updated recordkeeping rules, which expand the definition of severe injuries that must be reported to OSHA, take effect on January 1, 2015. The amendments require employers to report the following to OSHA: All work-related fatalities within 8 hours of…
Last week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a health advisory, warning the public to expect a severe flu season this year. The most common flu variants circulating to date this year are the influenza A H3N2…
