Routine Maintenance: A Regular Check-Up for Your Practice’s Compliance

By Carrie Gluck, Chief Information Security Officer, Rectangle Health

 

As the days grow shorter and kids head back to school, fall presents the perfect opportunity to review and refresh your practice’s security and compliance posture.

Just like dentists often remind their patients about the importance of maintaining a healthy smile, keeping your practice in compliance requires regular routine maintenance. This not only prevents potential issues from becoming extremely costly but also ensures the overall health of your practice.

Dental practices, like any other healthcare providers, are not immune to the challenges of the current environment. In recent years, many practices have focused heavily on COVID-19 precautions within their OSHA plans. However, as the immediate threat of the pandemic recedes, now is the ideal time to revisit and update other critical OSHA-related areas that may have been overlooked.

From ensuring that hazardous chemicals are properly handled to protecting your staff from potential infections, OSHA compliance remains a crucial aspect of running a safe and effective practice.

As the official OSHA vendor for AADOM, Rectangle Health is here to help you navigate these complexities. In this post, we will explore key security and compliance trends that are impacting dental practices today, along with essential tools and considerations that can help you stay ahead of the curve.

Whether your practice’s security and compliance posture needs a routine check-up or a thorough deep cleaning, we’ve got you covered with tips and solutions to keep your practice smiling.

Snapshot: Security and Compliance Trends to Watch

Just like a patient’s oral health, a practice’s security and compliance posture requires ongoing attention and care. Here are some key trends that are shaping the landscape for dental practices today:

1. Staffing Issues: A Persistent Challenge: Staffing remains a significant challenge for dental practices, with the need to continually hire, onboard, and train new staff. This revolving door can make it difficult to maintain consistent compliance with security protocols and OSHA standards. Ensuring that every new team member is fully trained on these requirements from day one is crucial to maintaining a safe and compliant work environment.
2. The Growing Threat of Cyberattacks in Healthcare: Healthcare is the number one targeted industry for ransomware and cyberattacks. In fact, for the 13th year in a row, the healthcare industry reported the most expensive data breaches, with an average cost of USD 10.93 million, according to the 2023 IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report. Strengthening your practice’s cybersecurity posture is essential to protect sensitive patient data and maintain trust.
3. OSHA Post-COVID: Time to Refresh Your Compliance: For the past few years, dental practices have been highly focused on ensuring compliance with COVID-related OSHA requirements. While this was necessary, it’s now time to revisit and refresh other areas of OSHA compliance. Many practices could benefit from revising their OSHA compliance practices to ensure they have the systems and training in place to stay on top of all OSHA requirements—not just those related to the pandemic.

Developing a Personalized Care Plan for Security and Compliance

Just as patients require personalized care plans for their oral health, your practice needs a tailored approach to security and compliance. Whether your practice’s posture requires a routine check-up or a thorough deep cleaning, addressing issues proactively can help prevent costly and time-consuming fines or data breaches.

Here are some key tips for staying ahead of security and compliance issues:

Know Where You Stand

Before you can address any security and compliance issues, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of where your practice currently stands. This begins with conducting comprehensive assessments that provide a detailed analysis of your practice’s current security and compliance posture.

For instance, a HIPAA Risk Assessment, which is part of the Bridge Compliance solution, offers an in-depth look at your practice’s compliance with HIPAA regulations. It identifies areas that require attention and helps you prioritize them in your compliance efforts. Similarly, utilizing cybersecurity risk assessment tools like Mastercard Cyber Quant can give you a holistic view of your practice’s cyber maturity and risk posture, highlighting potential vulnerabilities and helping you mitigate cyber threats before they cause damage.

Consider a Compliance Management Solution

Managing compliance can be complex and time-consuming, but the right tools can make it easier. Compliance solutions like Bridge Compliance offer a suite of training and compliance tools designed to centralize and simplify staff training and compliance management.

Here are some features to look for in a compliance management solution:

1. Centralized Training Management: The ability to manage and track all staff training in one place ensures that no one falls behind on required training. This is especially important in addressing staffing issues, as it makes onboarding and training new employees much easier and more efficient.
2. Automated Compliance Monitoring: Keeping up with changing regulations is easier with a system that automatically updates and monitors compliance requirements.
3. Comprehensive Reporting: A robust reporting feature helps you quickly identify areas where your practice may be falling short and allows you to address them proactively.

Take a Fresh Look at OSHA

For the past few years, COVID-era protections have been the primary focus of OSHA compliance for most dental practices.

Now is the perfect time to refresh your practice’s approach to OSHA and ensure that you’re not overlooking other critical areas. As the official OSHA vendor for AADOM, Rectangle Health is here to support you in this effort.

Here are three key OSHA regulations worth revisiting:

1. Bloodborne Pathogens Standard: This standard is crucial for any dental practice, given the nature of the work. Ensure that all employees are trained and that your exposure control plan is up to date.
2. Hazard Communication Standard: Proper labeling of hazardous chemicals and maintaining Safety Data Sheets (SDS) are key components of this standard. Regular audits can help ensure compliance.
3. Ionizing Radiation Standard: If your practice uses X-ray equipment, this standard is critical. Regular training and monitoring are essential to protect your staff.

Consider Third-Party Cybersecurity Support

After assessing your practice’s cybersecurity posture, it may be worth engaging third-party cybersecurity specialists. These experts can supplement your existing IT resources and help develop robust defenses against the growing threat of cyberattacks in healthcare.

Establish Routine Care for Your Practice’s Security and Compliance

Just like teeth, your practice’s security and compliance will be at their best with routine maintenance and upkeep. Establish regular checkups on your practice’s security and compliance health—at least once a quarter—to ensure you never fall behind. The peace of mind that comes from knowing your practice is compliant and secure is definitely something worth smiling about.

Start Your Compliance Journey with a Free Assessment

Curious to know where your practice stands when it comes to compliance?

Start with a free HIPAA Gap Assessment tool from Rectangle Health. This comprehensive tool will give you a clear picture of your current compliance status and help you take the first steps toward a safer, more secure practice.

 

---

About the Author

 

 

Carrie Gluck is a seasoned IT and Information Security professional with 30 years of experience. She specializes in cybersecurity, risk management, and regulatory compliance.

Currently, she serves as the Chief Information Security Officer at Rectangle Health, where she oversees corporate IT and cybersecurity operations to ensure the protection of customer and patient data.

Prior to this role, Carrie was the AVP of Information Technology Security at UConn Health, where she honed her expertise in safeguarding critical information systems.