Laura Diamond's guest appearances

Laura Diamond

Expressing Motherhood

Talking with the Toothcop

Craig Cody

Linda Harvey

Jillian Lauren

Chuck Blakeman

Christian Wright

Barb Buckner

Jordon Comstock

Nancy Sabino

David Moffet

Michelle Strange

Lisa Kane

Erica Garza

Lindsay Kavet

Duane Tinker

Amy Chesler

OwlTail

Have you heard of the federally implemented “No Surprises Act?” Were you aware that it applies to dentists? The No Surprises Act protects uninsured and self-pay patients from receiving surprise medical bills. So what does that mean for your practice? Find out in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop!  How the “No Surprises Act” applies to dentists As of 1/1/2022, you need to provide patients an estimate of anticipated charges for dental services, i.e. “Good Faith Estimates” or GFEs. They must be provided upon request or upon scheduling an appointment—well in advance of the treatment plans and financial estimates you may be currently providing.  Because you’re already providing financial estimates in advance of service, does that mean you’re exempt? NOPE. Sorry to tell you, that’s not the case. At this time, it applies to uninsured and self-pay patients. It may apply to insured patients in the future.  What do you have to do? Here are the basics:   You have to provide notice to your patients of their right to receive a GFE You must post a notice on your website You must post a notice in your practice where scheduling and service costs may be discussed (so a check-in desk).  You need to implement a good faith form in your practice. You have to issue this to current and new uninsured and self-pay patients before you provide—or continue providing—services. This applies to anyone who even contacts your office. If they ask what you charge for a dental cleaning, you have to provide them with that estimate.  What else do you need to know?   Even if you provide a GFE verbally, it must also be provided in writing (mail, fax, or encrypted email). Before you give out this information verbally, it’s wise to tell a potential patient that you must follow up with this information in written form and ask for their name and address (and assure them this is federal law). It must be provided within a specific time frame (1–3 business days after an appointment is scheduled or 3 days after an inquiry)  GFEs must be mailed to current patients before you continue with treatment  You have to maintain the estimates that you provide in a patient’s charting and document in their progress notes that you’ve talked about the GFE They have to be maintained for six years (even GFEs for patients who never scheduled) A GFE is the cost of services that you anticipate providing for a patient over a year. If those costs change, you must issue a new GFE.   None of this is difficult. But it is just one more thing you have to implement. That’s why we’ve created a toolkit for you to help you implement this in your practice.  Why does any of this matter? If there is a difference of more than $400 between your GFE and billed charges, the patient can initiate a billing dispute that the HHS can investigate. Those decisions are reviewed by a third-party contractor. If the decision doesn’t go in your favor, you can lose out on legitimately earned fees. Secondly, this may become like HIPAA. A complaint may lead to your practice being audited and civil monitoring down the road.  Outline of This Episode  [1:23] The Federal No Surprises Act  [3:35] What you have to do [7:03] When did this become effective?  [8:04] Why does any of this matter? [9:52] Where this falls in order of operations [11:00] Q&amp;A session with Laura  [17:49] How to connect with Laura [19:46] Important compliance reminders  OUR SPONSORS:  ProEdge Dental Water Labs: https://ProEdgeDental.com/Toothcop  Protective Dental: https://DentalCompliance.com/DrugKit Resources &amp; People Mentioned  The No Surprises Act implementation guide and toolkit Connect with Laura by email: ldiamond(at)dsedlaw.com  Connect With Duane  https://www.dentalcompliance.com/ toothcop(at)dentalcompliance.com On Facebook On Twitter On LinkedIn On Youtube 

Have you heard of the federally implemented “No Surprises Act?” Were you aware that it applies to dentists? The No Surprises Act protects uninsured and self-pay patients from receiving surprise medical bills. So what does that mean for your practice? Find out in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop!  How the “No Surprises Act” applies to dentists As of 1/1/2022, you need to provide patients an estimate of anticipated charges for dental services, i.e. “Good Faith Estimates” or GFEs. They must be provided upon request or upon scheduling an appointment—well in advance of the treatment plans and financial estimates you may be currently providing.  Because you’re already providing financial estimates in advance of service, does that mean you’re exempt? NOPE. Sorry to tell you, that’s not the case. At this time, it applies to uninsured and self-pay patients. It may apply to insured patients in the future.  What do you have to do? Here are the basics:  <ul> <li>You have to provide notice to your patients of their right to receive a GFE</li> <li>You must post a notice on your website</li> <li>You must post a notice in your practice where scheduling and service costs may be discussed (so a check-in desk).</li> </ul> You need to implement a good faith form in your practice. You have to issue this to current and new uninsured and self-pay patients before you provide—or continue providing—services. This applies to anyone who even contacts your office. If they ask what you charge for a dental cleaning, you have to provide them with that estimate.  What else do you need to know?  <ul> <li>Even if you provide a GFE verbally, it must also be provided in writing (mail, fax, or encrypted email). Before you give out this information verbally, it’s wise to tell a potential patient that you must follow up with this information in written form and ask for their name and address (and assure them this is federal law).</li> <li>It must be provided within a specific time frame (1–3 business days after an appointment is scheduled or 3 days after an inquiry) </li> <li>GFEs must be mailed to current patients before you continue with treatment </li> <li>You have to maintain the estimates that you provide in a patient’s charting and document in their progress notes that you’ve talked about the GFE</li> <li>They have to be maintained for six years (even GFEs for patients who never scheduled)</li> <li>A GFE is the cost of services that you anticipate providing for a patient over a year. If those costs change, you must issue a new GFE. </li> </ul> None of this is difficult. But it is just one more thing you have to implement. That’s why we’ve created a <a href="https://dentalcompliance.com/pages/nosurprisesact" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">toolkit for you</a> to help you implement this in your practice.  Why does any of this matter? If there is a difference of more than $400 between your GFE and billed charges, the patient can initiate a billing dispute that the HHS can investigate. Those decisions are reviewed by a third-party contractor. If the decision doesn’t go in your favor, you can lose out on legitimately earned fees. Secondly, this may become like HIPAA. A complaint may lead to your practice being audited and civil monitoring down the road.  Outline of This Episode <ul> <li>[1:23] The Federal No Surprises Act </li> <li>[3:35] What you have to do</li> <li>[7:03] When did this become effective? </li> <li>[8:04] Why does any of this matter?</li> <li>[9:52] Where this falls in order of operations</li> <li>[11:00] Q&amp;A session with Laura </li> <li>[17:49] How to connect with Laura</li> <li>[19:46] Important compliance reminders</li> </ul> OUR SPONSORS:  ProEdge Dental Water Labs: <a href="https://proedgedental.com/Toothcop" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://ProEdgeDental.com/Toothcop</a> Protective Dental: <a href="https://dentalcompliance.com/DrugKit" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://DentalCompliance.com/DrugKit</a> Resources &amp; People Mentioned <ul> <li>The No Surprises Act <a href="https://dentalcompliance.com/pages/nosurprisesact" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">implementation guide and toolkit</a></li> <li>Connect with Laura by email: ldiamond(at)<a href="http://dsedlaw.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dsedlaw.com</a></li> </ul> Connect With Duane <ul> <li><a href="https://www.dentalcompliance.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dentalcompliance.com/</a></li> <li>toothcop(at)<a href="http://dentalcompliance.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dentalcompliance.com</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dentalcompliance?_rdr" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://twitter.com/ddscompliance" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/2850581/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/DentalCompliance" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube</a></li> </ul>

How the No Surprises Act Impacts Dentists - Laura Diamond

Do you really need legal representation shortly after a patient death or hospitalization? While it’s a scenario that no dentist ever wants to face over the course of their career you need to have a plan in place. Here to help you understand what you can expect and how to prepare for dealing with a patient death or hospitalization is Laura Diamond. Laura is an administrative and healthcare law attorney with experience representing healthcare providers in administrative proceedings. She is a partner in the firm of Dalrymple, Shellhorse, Ellis &amp; Diamond, LLP. Laura’s practice focuses on assisting individuals and businesses in defending their occupational licenses. She represents clients at the agency level (complaint, investigation, and informal settlement conference) as well as before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). Ms. Diamond advises dentists, nurses (RN, LVN), physicians, respiratory therapists, radiologic technicians, psychologists, and mental health providers including social workers and counselors (LPC, LCDC, LMFT, LSOTP). In our conversation, Laura explains how the self-reporting process works when a patient death or hospitalization occurs, the best way to protect yourself when that happens, why you need legal representation when you appear before a regulatory body, and much more. Don’t miss a minute of this valuable episode featuring Laura’s expert perspective! When to report a patient death or hospitalization. It may sound like an obvious answer, but there can be challenges when deciding when to report a patient death or hospitalization to a regulatory body. Of course, you need to report a patient death to law enforcement right away when it happens in your office, but you do have time before you need to report it to an organization like the State Board of Dental Examiners. When a death occurs as a direct result of a dental procedure or if they are admitted to the hospital due to that procedure, you are required to report it to your state regulatory body. To get the full discussion on this critical topic with Laura, make sure to listen to this episode! Why you need legal representation. Many dentists are so eager to comply with state or federal law when a patient death or hospital admittance occurs that they fail to protect themselves with legal representation. The point of securing legal representation at this crucial time is not to hide the facts or hinder the investigation it’s to make sure you are telling the full story. Too often dentists and their staff will volunteer information to state investigators without consulting with legal representation and unnecessarily open themselves up to liability. Don’t let that happen to your office! Have a plan in place, so your practice is covered and prepared. Use the timeframe requirements to prepare your documents. On a similar note, you need to make sure that as you prepare to submit a self-report to your state’s regulatory board that you do so only when you’ve got all your documents ready. This doesn’t mean you should file a report past the required deadline; it just means that you should use the full 72 hours or whatever time your state requires to your full advantage. Remember, you’ll need to submit copies of your patient’s chart, emergency protocols, electronic images, and a whole host of additional documents. Once you’ve self-reported, you’ll need to provide that information right away, that is why using the full timeframe is in your best interest. To learn more about this complicated process, make sure to listen to this episode! Make sure you have your bases covered. If it has been some time since you last reviewed your office’s procedure for a patient death or hospitalization, let this episode serve as your reminder. Take the time today to schedule your procedure review and put it on the calendar for the next review too. You can never be too careful when it comes to patient safety, legal representation, and dental compliance. If you’d like to follow up with Laura about specific questions or to get connected to legal representation for your practice, make sure to check out the links in the resources section at the end of this post. Outline of This Episode  [0:22] I welcome my guest, Laura Diamond. [3:00] Laura and I talk about self-reporting patient deaths and hospitalizations. [5:30] How do you know when you should self-report a death or hospitalization? [8:30] Why you need legal representation when you appear before a regulatory body. [13:00] I share a story about a dentist that self-reported a patient death. [16:00] What you’ll need to provide when you self-report a patient death or hospitalization. [21:00] Understanding how the timeframe requirements work. [24:00] Closing thoughts.  Resources &amp; People Mentioned  Dalrymple, Shellhorse, Ellis &amp; Diamond, LLP Laura on LinkedIn Laura’s email address - LDIAMOND[at]DSEDLAW.COM Texas State Board of Dental Examiners - Texas.gov  Connect With Duane  https://www.dentalcompliance.com/ toothcop(at)dentalcompliance.com On Facebook On Twitter On LinkedIn On Youtube 

Do you really need legal representation shortly after a patient death or hospitalization? While it’s a scenario that no dentist ever wants to face over the course of their career you need to have a plan in place. Here to help you understand what you can expect and how to prepare for dealing with a patient death or hospitalization is Laura Diamond. Laura is an administrative and healthcare law attorney with experience representing healthcare providers in administrative proceedings. She is a partner in the firm of Dalrymple, Shellhorse, Ellis &amp; Diamond, LLP. Laura’s practice focuses on assisting individuals and businesses in defending their occupational licenses. She represents clients at the agency level (complaint, investigation, and informal settlement conference) as well as before the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH). Ms. Diamond advises dentists, nurses (RN, LVN), physicians, respiratory therapists, radiologic technicians, psychologists, and mental health providers including social workers and counselors (LPC, LCDC, LMFT, LSOTP). In our conversation, Laura explains how the self-reporting process works when a patient death or hospitalization occurs, the best way to protect yourself when that happens, why you need legal representation when you appear before a regulatory body, and much more. Don’t miss a minute of this valuable episode featuring Laura’s expert perspective! When to report a patient death or hospitalization. It may sound like an obvious answer, but there can be challenges when deciding when to report a patient death or hospitalization to a regulatory body. Of course, you need to report a patient death to law enforcement right away when it happens in your office, but you do have time before you need to report it to an organization like the State Board of Dental Examiners. When a death occurs as a direct result of a dental procedure or if they are admitted to the hospital due to that procedure, you are required to report it to your state regulatory body. To get the full discussion on this critical topic with Laura, make sure to listen to this episode! Why you need legal representation. Many dentists are so eager to comply with state or federal law when a patient death or hospital admittance occurs that they fail to protect themselves with legal representation. The point of securing legal representation at this crucial time is not to hide the facts or hinder the investigation it’s to make sure you are telling the full story. Too often dentists and their staff will volunteer information to state investigators without consulting with legal representation and unnecessarily open themselves up to liability. Don’t let that happen to your office! Have a plan in place, so your practice is covered and prepared. Use the timeframe requirements to prepare your documents. On a similar note, you need to make sure that as you prepare to submit a self-report to your state’s regulatory board that you do so only when you’ve got all your documents ready. This doesn’t mean you should file a report past the required deadline; it just means that you should use the full 72 hours or whatever time your state requires to your full advantage. Remember, you’ll need to submit copies of your patient’s chart, emergency protocols, electronic images, and a whole host of additional documents. Once you’ve self-reported, you’ll need to provide that information right away, that is why using the full timeframe is in your best interest. To learn more about this complicated process, make sure to listen to this episode! Make sure you have your bases covered. If it has been some time since you last reviewed your office’s procedure for a patient death or hospitalization, let this episode serve as your reminder. Take the time today to schedule your procedure review and put it on the calendar for the next review too. You can never be too careful when it comes to patient safety, legal representation, and dental compliance. If you’d like to follow up with Laura about specific questions or to get connected to legal representation for your practice, make sure to check out the links in the resources section at the end of this post. Outline of This Episode <ul> <li>[0:22] I welcome my guest, Laura Diamond.</li> <li>[3:00] Laura and I talk about self-reporting patient deaths and hospitalizations.</li> <li>[5:30] How do you know when you should self-report a death or hospitalization?</li> <li>[8:30] Why you need legal representation when you appear before a regulatory body.</li> <li>[13:00] I share a story about a dentist that self-reported a patient death.</li> <li>[16:00] What you’ll need to provide when you self-report a patient death or hospitalization.</li> <li>[21:00] Understanding how the timeframe requirements work.</li> <li>[24:00] Closing thoughts.</li> </ul> Resources &amp; People Mentioned <ul> <li><a href="https://www.dsedlaw.com/laura-bio" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Dalrymple, Shellhorse, Ellis &amp; Diamond, LLP</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauradiamondattorney/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Laura on LinkedIn</a></li> <li>Laura’s email address - LDIAMOND[at]<a href="http://DSEDLAW.COM" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">DSEDLAW.COM</a></li> <li><a href="http://www.tsbde.texas.gov/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Texas State Board of Dental Examiners - Texas.gov</a></li> </ul> Connect With Duane <ul> <li><a href="https://www.dentalcompliance.com/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.dentalcompliance.com/</a></li> <li>toothcop(at)<a href="http://dentalcompliance.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">dentalcompliance.com</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dentalcompliance?_rdr" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Facebook</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://twitter.com/ddscompliance" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Twitter</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/2850581/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a></li> <li>On <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/DentalCompliance" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Youtube</a></li> </ul>

Why You Need Legal Representation When Self-Reporting Patient Deaths and Hospitalizations - Laura Diamond

Expressing Motherhood the podcast is looking to talk to moms about their creative process and what kind of projects they are up to.In today's episode I will talk to LA mom Laura Diamond about her upcoming book "Shelter Us." Let's find out how she found time to write it and get it published.I will also talk about the fact that my 3 kids are home sick and playing in the driveway as I record the podcast from my closet with a bag of ice on my foot from a beesting. #exmoshow

Expressing Motherhood the podcast is looking to talk to moms about their creative process and what kind of projects they are up to. In today's episode I will talk to LA mom Laura Diamond about her upcoming book "Shelter Us." Let's find out how she found time to write it and get it published. I will also talk about the fact that my 3 kids are home sick and playing in the driveway as I record the podcast from my closet with a bag of ice on my foot from a beesting. #exmoshow