Your Guide to HIPAA Compliance for Dental Offices

What is the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)

The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) defines HIPAA as “a set of national standards for the protection of certain health information.” It is designed to establish federal standards to protect sensitive health information from disclosure without patient’s consent.

Does HIPAA apply to dentists?

Yes, like any healthcare entity, dentists hold a wealth of information on their patients and proctecting them must be a top priority. However, the lines between a HIPAA-covered dentists can sometimes get blurry because some dental practices do not “transmit information in an electric form in connection with a transaction for which the Department of Health and Human Services has adopted a standard”.

What are those adopted standards?

• Eligibility checks
• Authorizations
• Claims information

Some dentist communicate exclusively by phone and fax, so they may not qualify as a HIPAA-covered healthcare provider and may not have to follow the HIPAA Rules for dentists.

Still, HIPAA compliance for all dental clinics is important

We’re living at an uncertain time where increasing cyber risks demand strong HIPAA security dental strategies to protect against data breaches. For instance, Indianapolis-based Westend Dental settled $350,000 after a ransomware attack exposed the protected health information of its patients in 2020.

Since then, Westend Dental has implemented rigorous data security protocols, staff training on HIPAA regulations, and established policies to prevent measures. They may serve as a cautionary tale, but don’t wait until your office gets hit next.

Instead, prioritize HIPAA compliance so that you can maintain your patients’ trust and safeguard your practice. But where should you begin? Let’s first explore the privacy violations that happen within the walls of dental clinics.

How do privacy violations happen in the dental setting?

While these privacy violations may seem innocuous, these are common pitfalls and may lead to HIPAA non-compliance:

1. Unauthorized access to patient records. This can happen through lax security measures, sharing of passwords or failure to implement access controls.
2. Lost or stolen devices. Dentists often use digital devices to store and access patient data, but losing them can result in a serious breach if the data is not properly encrypted or secured.
3. Cyberattacks. This can happen through phishing e-mails, phone calls or in-person manipulation.
4. Having weak passwords. Patient records are vulnerable to unauthorized access when inadequate password protection are in place.
5. Unencrypted communications. This happens when you share patient information through unencrypted e-mail or messaging services.
6. Improper disposal. This happens when patient records or sensitive documents aren’t securely destroyed before disposal.

The potential impact? Costly violations, lost of patient trust, bad reputation, and ultimately, revenue loss. See how Synapse’s dental billing team mitigate these challenges.

Synapse experts: Prioritizing security through HIPAA certification and training

At Synapse Dental Billing, we place education and training as one of our top priorities. If knowledge is power, then we must acquire the correct and updated information available to us about data security and patient privacy. That’s why all of our billers, coders, authorization specialists, front desk staff receives HIPAA certification and training as well as applies layered defenses (firewalls, MFA, audits) to minimize vulnerabilities.

• HIPAA Certified: Our staff is fully trained and certified in HIPAA compliance to ensure the protection of patient health information.
• Cybersecurity-aware Workforce: We combine expertise in cybersecurity with rigorous security practices to defend against digital threats.

Our dedicated cybersecurity team shares their regular insights on trends and security protocols, such as:

• Do not click on suspicious links or open unexpected attachments.
• Report any unusual system behavior or phishing emails to IT Security immediately.
• Use strong, unique passwords and avoid reusing corporate credentials on public websites.
• Ensure antivirus/EDR is active and up to date.

With Synapse, our dental partners are covering the full regulation with utmost care and ease. Stay vigilant and implement HIPAA-centered protocols by booking a consultation with our experts!