Cliff's Notes

“Infection Control & Handpieces” – “Play by the Rules, Technology can Hurt”

Cliff’s Notes for June 12, 2011

….. E-Blast…..

 

Cliff Marsh, Henry Schein ……Cell: 201-321-7494……Fax: 201-262-2210…..E-mail: cliff.marsh@henryschein.com

http://www.cliffsnotesblog.wordpress.com

“A spark neglected makes a mighty fire.”

Robert Herrick

 

In This Week’s Issue

• Let’s Talk About Infection Control Part #4 – Once Again, HANDPIECES!
• Technology Controls, Play by the Rules!
• Have You Checked Your Harassment Policy Lately?
• Product Review – IPS Empress by Ivoclar Vivadent

Seminar Notice:…………………………………………………………

Infection Control Up-Date

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe

Infection Prevention & Control in the Dental Office

8:30 AM – 11:00 AM, Continental Breakfast Served – 2 CE’s (subject code #130)

Drs. $35.00 – Staff $15.00 Fees can be billed to your Henry Schein Account

The topics to be discussed in this 2 hour intense overview:

1. Understanding CDC Guide Lines
2. Disinfection
3. Risk assessment
4. Instrument processing
5. Personal protection
6. Sterilization procedures
7. Sterilization monitoring

 

To register, call:

Carol @ 973-227-3533      carol.carlson@henryschein.com

Cliff @ 201-321-7494        cliff.marsh@henryschein.com.

Once Again, Let’s Sterilize Handpiece!…………………………………………..

This past week was a handpiece problem week. Handpiece maintenance rules are pretty simple. If procedures are followed correctly there will be less down time and less annual cost.

1. After the patient gets dismissed the handpieces are removed, washed with tap water (they are made to get wet) and then they are the first thing to exit the room. Try not to expose them to any disinfectants including the vapor when cleaning the counters or chair.
2. After washing the handpiece needs to be lubricated. Use an autoclavable lubricant/cleaner. The dental lubricants are designed to remain on the turbine bearings to protect them from the excessive heat in the sterilizer. At the same time, the lubricant will be sterilized.
3. Purge the excess lubricant using an air station. DO NOT use your dental equipment to purge; the lubricant expelled into the handpiece tubing will cause it to deteriorate.
4. Place the handpiece into its own sterilization pouch and place it in the autoclave

The easiest way to mange handpiece maintenance is to use an automated system like Kavo’s Quattrocare. As a matter of fact, Kavo is so convinced that automatic maintenance increases longevity, any Kavo handpiece that is maintained by a Quattrocare, will be covered by a 2 year turbine warranty instead of the standard 1 year.

 Handpiece Maintanence session (in-office) are available at no cost upon request.

Kavo QUATTROcare®

Automatic Handpiece Maintenance and Purging System.

http://www.kavo.com/functions/csdownload3.aspx?id=601&org=004&key=3ed079299e48caf96cd3b1e41728203528…

VmU8weOm0Fs

Click here for Handpiece Love & Happiness

VELscope is Available at an Introductory Price!………………………………

From now until June 24^th (N o Exceptions) the Velscope System will be available at a net cost of as $2199.00. After the IRS Section #179 deduction, the net cost may be as low as $1599.00. This equipment is becoming a standard for dental exams. Now is the time to incorporate this technology into your practice.

www.velscope.com

Call Cliff for details 201-321-7494 or e-mail cliff.marsh@henryschein.com.  

Technology Will Control Fraud, So Play by the Rules…………………

As business people we are morally and legally obligated to play by the rules. Several months ago I warned about how “Big Brother is Watching”. You need to be aware of your defensive strategies. New Jersey is beginning state sales tax audits. If you have purchased anything from an organization that does not collect NJ sales tax, you must report it on you quarterly statements. 

The following article appeared in The Record on Saturday, June 18, 2011. The tracking technology is available and easy to implement.

Medicare goes high-tech to head off fraud

Friday, June 17, 2011 BY RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR

Associated Press

WASHINGTON — Tired of paying bogus claims, then chasing the scammers, Medicare announced Friday it is deploying screening technology similar to what’s widely used by credit card companies to head off fraud.

Up to now, the $500 billion-a-year government health program for seniors has basically paid claims first and asked questions later in a system dubbed “pay and chase.”

The technology upgrade should help deter flagrant abuses such as the small clinic that suddenly starts billing more for a particular outpatient procedure — intravenous infusions, for example — than major hospitals in its area. But it’s not likely to help crack sophisticated schemes that involve outwardly respectable companies with the expertise to cover their tracks.

Medicare “is putting in place the kind of computer program it should have had in 1980 or earlier,” said Patrick Burns of Taxpayers Against Fraud, a nonpartisan group that supports whistleblowers who expose corporate scams against the government. “The bad news is that the largest Medicare and Medicaid frauds are designed at the highest levels of companies, with accountants, billing experts and salespeople smoothing over the paperwork so that it will slide past all the proctors.”

Health care fraud is estimated to cost taxpayers $60 billion a year, although its real extent is unknown. Medicare, which covers 47 million seniors and disabled people of any age, has long been a prime target. But with the program facing insolvency, combatting health care fraud has become a much more urgent priority for the government.

Medicare anti-fraud czar Peter Budetti said the new system expected to go into operation July 1 is a major step forward. “It will allow us to do some things we had not been able to do before,” he said. The hope is that Medicare will no longer be an easy mark.

Up to now, the program has performed rudimentary fraud checks on individual claims before payment, officials said. For example, does the Medicare number on a bill for prostate cancer treatment belong to a female patient?

The new system will allow Medicare to monitor large numbers of claims using computer analysis to spot tell-tale patterns of potential problems: Does a storefront wheelchair retailer in Los Angeles have lots of customers in San Francisco, more than 350 miles away?

Looking at such variables as the beneficiary, the provider, the type of service and other patterns, the system will assign risk scores to claims. It will then issue an alert when something looks like it might be off. Medicare will be able to investigate the claim before payment is sent out.

That should help address one of the major frustrations for health care fraud investigators. Because Congress directs Medicare to pay claims promptly — usually within 14 to 30 days — fraudsters can make a quick bundle and drop off the radar at the first sign that law enforcement is on to them. By the time the chase is on, the lawbreakers have usually absconded with the loot.

“We’re getting ahead of the game here,” said Medicare Administrator Don Berwick.

Officials said Medicare has awarded an initial $77 million contract for the new system to defense giant Northrup Grumman and a group of companies. “We will be able to translate their experience from the private sector into Medicare,” Budetti said. Other major companies participating in the contract include National Government Services and a Verizon subsidiary named Federal Network Systems.

Time will tell if the dramatic benefits officials are promising actually do materialize. Government technology acquisitions can be notoriously buggy. Still, Medicare needs technological tools such as the new system to confront its fraud problem.

Have You Up-Dated Your Employee Manual?………………………………..

I think the first question is , do you have one? A statement of policy is the very first thing you need before you hire an employee. A written statement and an employee’s signature of acceptance and understanding is the only defense you will have in a court of law. A custom written employee handbook can be obtained for about $1500.00. It is an insurance policy that is worth every penny.

The following up-date was supplied to Cliff’s Notes by: Matthew R. Grabell, Esq.
CEO Employee Relations Solutions
mgrabell.esq@employeerelationssolutions.net
201 488 6438

The Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals recently applied the Faragher/Ellerth defense (that the employer exercised reasonable care to prevent and promptly correct sexually harassing behavior AND the employee unreasonably failed to take advantage of employer provided preventative or corrective opportunities) in finding in favor of an employer on sexual harassment claims filed by a former secretary who had an extramarital affair with her boss.

 
During the course of the consensual affair, the female employee was promoted and received several pay increases. She never reported the affair to anyone in the company. However, other employees reported inappropriate conduct between the two and the company investigated. They conducted special training sessions on harassment and conducted numerous interviews with employees. The female employee was reminded of the policy and how to report harassment.

The affair continued for another two years until the employee took disability leave for mental health reasons, during which time her husband reported the harassment. She never returned to work and filed a sexual harassment lawsuit.

The court ruled in the employer’s favor because it acted promptly to follow the policy upon learning of the alleged harassment and the employee failed to take advantage of the complaint procedure (and even denied the affair when questioned). 

Make sure your policy is clear and tells employees how to file a complaint. And, always take prompt action in response to a complaint and do a thorough and impartial investigation.  Most courts will applaud the use of a third party investigator in this regard.  

Please feel free to contact me at any time to discuss possible employee situations before they arise. If you want to play by the rules, you need to know what they are. Make informed decisions.

 

Product Review –IPS Empress Direct…………………………………… 

IPS Empress Direct is a light-curing, highly esthetic nano-hybrid composite filling material for direct restorative procedures in the anterior and posterior region.

For nearly 20 years, the name IPS Empress has been associated with the highest level of esthetics in the reproduction of natural tooth characteristics. IPS Empress Direct from the IPS Empress range combines the esthetics of ceramics with the application advantages of composites.

IPS Empress Direct is designed for dentists with exceptionally high esthetic demands who strive to mimic the appearance of natural teeth who value the wide range of shades and various levels of translucency offered by the system.

Advantages: A wide range of indications for anterior and posterior teeth.

1. 32 shades and 5 levels of translucency.
2. New opalescent shade.
3. No need to use a specific layering technique.
4. High surface gloss.
5. Excellent polishing properties.
6. Lifelike fluorescence associated with Empress materials.
7. Autoclavable, non-fading ceramic shade guide.
8. Long working time.
9. High radiopacity

Click here to learn more about Empress Direct – www. IPS Empress Direct

You may also want to take a look at Ivoclar Vivadent Empress Direct Flowable!

 

Sunday, June 19, 2011 – Happy Fathers Day!……………………………

June 20, 2011 - Posted by Cliff's Notes Blog | Uncategorized