Dental Office Procedures & Protocols

Dental office procedures and protocols are designed and implemented to protect patient privacy and ensure the office has a standardized way of doing things. Having procedures and protocols in place allows office staff to stay better organized and provide more efficient services to dental patients.

HIPAA

Dental offices are subject to the rules established under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. HIPAA was instituted by Congress in 1996 as a means of protecting patient privacy from being misused and inappropriately disclosed. Accordingly, dental office procedures and protocols must be in line with HIPAA standards, such as ensuring patient information is locked up securely.

Appointments

Appointment procedures and protocols for a dental office include establishing expectations of patients and office staff when it comes to scheduling. One such protocol is requiring patients to give 24 hour notice for cancellations. Additionally, if patients do not show up for scheduled appointments, the office's procedure may be to charge the patient a no-show administrative fee.

Complaints

Dental offices must have procedures and protocols in place to handle patient complaints. In privately owned clinics, complaints may be made with administrative staff, such as the clinic's receptionist. She then forwards the complaint onto the dentist. Larger clinics may have customer service departments or staff whose jobs are to handle patient complaints.

References

• Department of Health and Human Services: HIPAA Administrative Simplification Statute and Rules