According to a recent news release from the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), a Nevada healthcare provider will pay OCR $75,000 to settle a violation of the federal Health Insurance…
In late 2020, the American Dental Association (ADA) issued the Technical Report Guidance on Method Development and Validation of Cleaning Processes for Dental Instruments to help guide manufacturers of reusable dental instruments on developing and validating reprocessing instructions that follow…
On January 4, the Director of the California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) issued a waiver to permit dentists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine to patients. According to the waiver, dentists in California with required training may independently initiate and…
November 2020 marks the twentieth anniversary of the federal Needlestick Safety and Prevention Act, which mandated the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to add safety provisions to the Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. These included: New requirements for the evaluation and…
On December 10, 2020, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that proposed amendments to the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Privacy Rule are being submitted to the Office of the Federal Register for review and…
With the end of the year drawing near, as we prepare to usher in 2021, December is a good time to review and evaluate office safety policies and procedures to ensure compliance and their effectiveness. Using a safety assessment checklist…
On October 28, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a recall notice that Sunstar Americas, Inc. (SAI) is voluntarily recalling Paroex® Chlorhexidine Gluconate Oral Rinse USP, 0.12% products bearing an expiration date from 6/30/22 – 9/30/22 because it…
The California Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) released its fourth Waiver Notice, dated October 22, to extend the continuing education (CE) requirements for California dental licensees whose active licenses expire between March 31, 2020, and December 31, 2020. According to…
New Prescription Form Requirements Beginning January 1, 2021, prescribers of controlled substances must use updated prescription forms, which include a 12-character serial number and corresponding barcode required by Assembly Bill 149 of 2019. This information will also be linked to…
According to the ADA News, Athens Orthopedic Clinic in Georgia recently settled with the US Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) for potential violations of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The settlement consisted…
