Continuing its series on Dental Infection Control Awareness month, A Tale of Two Hygienists is delving into the intricacies of HIPAA and how hygienists can work with patients to ensure that private patient information is kept confidential and easily accessible.
Mary Govoni is a speaker and author who leads her own consulting firm specializing in training dental teams on infection prevention, team communication and other key areas. She’s now in her 49th year of working in dentistry, having gone from being a chairside assistant to a hygienist to teaching at community college and now to her current consulting work.
In this episode, Mary impresses the importance of maintaining electronic records, explains how poor password discipline still trips dental professionals up, and discusses what you can do to help ensure your team stays in compliance.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
Interview starts: 15:30
– What got Mary interested in the regulatory side of dentistry?
– The four big rules you should be following to ensure compliance.
– Looking at the intricate processes that help to protect patient information.
– How a little documentation can go a long way.
– Taking the proper steps to ensure patient information is shared in a safe and agreed-upon manner.
– Why passwords are still the biggest security issue for most practices.
– Exploring the unintentional risks posed by social media in the office.
QUOTES:
“We’ve come a long way in terms of compliance, but we’re not quite there yet.”
“Along with running a business, there is a certain amount of documentation that needs to be done.”
“Anything that has patient information does need to be encrypted.”
LINKS:
Mary Govoni & Associates – https://www.marygovoni.com/#/
Mary Govoni & Associates Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/marygovoniandassociates/
Mary’s email – mary@marygovoni.com
THIS EPISODE COUNTS FOR CE! – but read the disclaimer below as it might not count for your state.
Go here to take the test and get your CE Credit!
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