Chapter 4. Clinic Operations
Introduction
I. Policies & Procedures Manual
a.
What is a Policies and Procedures (P&P) manual?
b. What policies
and procedures should be in place when the clinic opens?
c. What format
should be used for policies and procedures?
d. What topics
should be covered in the P&P manual?
e. What are practice guidelines or clinical
protocols?
Section II. Personnel/Human Resources
a. Should
we develop an employee/staff handbook?
b. What are
professional standards of conduct?
c. What are
position descriptions?
d. How do
salaried employees differ from contractors and volunteers?
e. How can
we recruit staff for the clinic?
f. What do
we need to know about interviewing potential employees?
g. What do
the terms "credentialing" and "privileging" mean?
h. What is
the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB)?
i. How should
we orient new staff?
j. What are
some strategies for staff retention?
k. How can
we offer training and continuing dental education (CDE)?
l. What laws
relate to disciplining or terminating employees?
m. Where
can we find information on state dental laws, rules and regulations, dental
boards, and licensing
requirements?
Section III. Malpractice, Risk Management, and Insurance
a. Why is
malpractice insurance important to the clinic?
b. What is
risk management?
c.
What are incident reports and how are they used?
d. What kinds
of insurance are needed for a dental clinic?
Section IV. Health Records
a. Why does
a dental clinic need health records?
b. What clinic
forms do we need?
c. What should
the record contain and not contain?
d. Why is
confidentiality of health records important?
e. What is
HIPAA?
f. How do
we handle health records in special circumstances?
g.
Is there a web-based resource for dental charting abbreviations and
terminology?
Section V. Purchasing and Inventory Management
a. Who should
be responsible for purchasing supplies?
b. Do we
need a system to purchase and stock supplies?
c. How can
we track and manage inventory?
d. Where
can we purchase dental supplies?
e. Should
we stock and dispense medications?
Section VI. Patient Scheduling and Consent for Care
a. What is
an appointment system?
b. How should
appointments be scheduled?
c. How far
in advance should we schedule appointments?
d. How can
we handle broken appointments?
e. How can
we manage dental emergencies using an appointment system?
f. What should
we do to avoid wrongful termination or abandonment?
g. What is
a preventive recall program?
h. How do we manage continuum of care?
i. What are
patient rights and responsibilities?
j. What is
informed consent?
k. What are
policies and procedures around informed consent?
l. How do
we obtain consent for minors?
m. Can patient
consent be withdrawn?
n. What is
informed refusal?
o.
Do we need written follow-up instructions for patients?
p. How
should the clinic handle interpretation services for patients who do not speak
English?
Section VII. Billing and Collections
a. How do
we set up a billing and collections system?
b. What is
a superbill, charge slip or encounter form?
c. Who needs
to be involved in the billing and collections process?
Section VIII. Infection Control, Environmental Health and Safety
a. What is
infection control and how is it regulated?
b. What regulations
govern hazardous materials used in dentistry?
c. How should
the dental clinic handle mercury?
d. Are there
standards for using nitrous oxide?
e. What standards cover radiation health and safety, including x-rays?
f. What guidelines
are available for dental radiology (x-rays)?
g. How are
work-related accident reports handled?
h. How should
the clinic prepare for medical emergencies?
i. How should
the clinic manage compliance with Life Safety Codes?
j. What should
the clinic do for emergency preparedness?
k. How should
clinic security be handled?
l. What are
some other clinic safety issues and resources?
Section IX. Clinical and Prevention Information Resources
a. What are some good sources of dental, medical, and pharmaceutical information?
b. Where can we find information about treating patients with compromising medical conditions?
c. Where can we find information about clinical and community-based prevention strategies?
d. Where can we find information about clinical diagnosis and clinical technique?
e. What
are some sources of information about behavior management of the fearful
or apprehensive patient, including the use of restraints?
f. What
is conscious sedation and when should
it be used as a form of behavior management?
g. Where
can information be found on the treatment of patients with disabilities or
other special health care
needs?
Section X. Dental Office Technology
a. What
is Dental Office Technology?
b. What
are information systems and information management?
c. What
considerations are important in computer hardware and software selection?
d. What
is technology integration?
e. Should
our clinic consider using digital radiography?
f. Should
the clinic consider purchasing a DIAGNOdent to diagnose dental decay?
g. Should
we consider purchasing an intraoral camera?
h. What is air abrasion, and should we be using it in our clinic?