HCD Mini-Lines 8-26-21

Quick additions to our headlines from earlier this week...

9/2021 Schedule

September schedule has been put together. Please let me know if you have any questions.

9-2021.pdf

Download PDF • 134KB

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Notice of Fraud

Reminder to please update your passwords frequently. Dentrix forces us to switch it up every other month, but what about your Outlook, suppliers websites, etc? We just received a notice from Patterson Dental that their site was breached and our information might've been compromised. So, please use this as your friendly reminder to update your passwords frequently.

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Vaccination Questions

We are starting to hear the question regarding vaccinations more frequently as the COVID cases increase locally and it continues to be a talking point throughout the media. Please know that we support getting the vaccine or not getting the vaccine - we support your choice. We also protect your choice. Patients will not be informed of vaccination status in order to change providers, etc. As a practice, we follow universal standards, we conduct COVID pre-screenings, and we take other precautions as directed by the CDC including masks.

With that said, when someone calls or asks if our team is vaccinated, we do not give that information out as it is considered PHI (personal health information) and is protected by HIPAA. You can decide on a personal level if you'd like to tell them your vaccination status, but you are not required to.

A while ago, we shared this with our front desk to handle phone calls that ask these questions. Please use the following as a guide for how to respond in these situations.

I understand protection from COVID-19 is very important to you, as it is for us, too. We continue to follow COVID guidelines and procedures recommended by the CDC and the State of Alaska. We use universal precautions to ensure each room is ready for the next patient. When it comes to the personal choices of our team, we cannot share whether or not our team members are vaccinated as this is their personal health information. Their privacy is protected by HIPAA and we have no authorization to share their information. You are welcome to speak with them directly about your concerns regarding vaccination with the understanding that they are not obligated to share their personal health information with you.

Shorter version:

I understand the vaccination is very important to you. Due to HIPAA regulations and personal privacy issues, we cannot share with you whether or not a team member is vaccinated. You can rest assured that we follow universal precautions to reduce your risk of being exposed to COVID-19 and other potential issues while in our practice.

As an employee of HCD, you have rights that we stand by and honor. Please let the doctors or I know if you would like more guidance in these situations/conversations.

Thank you!