Legal Aspects of Dentistry

In September 2026, a dental assistant was sexually assaulted by the practice's janitor at gunpoint as she was leaving the office for the day. From well-lit parking lots to clear emergency action plans, every practice should take proactive steps to protect its team. Does your practice have safety protocols in place for everyday situations and emergencies?
Olivia Wann shares important considerations to help dental practices strengthen their safety preparations and prioritize the well-being of every team member.
Your team’s safety matters. Is your practice prepared?

A recent HHS Office for Civil Rights settlement involving a Pennsylvania dental practice is an important warning for every dental office: HIPAA compliance is about more than protecting patient information—it also requires having the right policies and procedures in place to provide patients timely access to their records.

Read more from Olivia's blog here: https://modernpracticesolutions.com/a-140000-hipaa-lesson-for-dental-practices-why-your-right-of-access-policies-matter/

How do you manage your DEA-required drug log?  Are you using a Google sheet or paper? In this episode, Olivia Wann interviews TutelaRx's developers, Justin Wightman and Zach Chapman about their new platform.

Is your dental office website ADA accessible? Learn what dental practices should know about website accessibility, online forms, scheduling, PDFs, and ADA compliance.

eAssist Dental Solutions has been the target of a ransomware attack claimed by the DireWolf threat actor group although full details and the extent of the data breach is yet under investigation. 

eAssist is one of the largest third-party dental insurance billing companies in the country.  As of date, the breach is an unconfirmed claim.  However, what we do know is that DireWolf published a listing naming eAssist Dental Solutions.  Neither eAssist or majority interest owner, Henry Schein, has issued a statement yet.

Should you just wait and see what happens if you were a customer of eAssist?  What should you do?

For more information and the eAssist Data Security Incident Response Checklist, visit: 
https://modernpracticesolutions.com/e-assist-data-breach-take-action-now/

Another ransomware enforcement action sends a clear message to health care providers: A HIPAA risk analysis must be accurate, thorough, and capable of identifying the organization’s actual cybersecurity risks.

It is not uncommon for busy families to ask an older teenage child to bring a younger sibling to a dental appointment. While this may seem like a practical solution, dental practices should carefully consider the legal and ethical implications before treating a minor patient without a parent or legal guardian present.

Olivia Wann and Sky Eagle dive into the topic of why every dental practice needs a clear, well‑crafted AI Policy to protect patient data, uphold ethical standards, and stay compliant in a rapidly evolving tech landscape. Together, they break down how intentional guidelines can empower teams, reduce risk, and help dental offices use AI with confidence and purpose.

This episode dives into the legal, clinical, and risk‑management reasons dental teams must keep sterilized instruments sealed in their packaging until the moment they are used. Olivia Wann and Caitlin Denison break down how this simple step protects patients, supports compliance, and shields practices from liability.

In this episode, Olivia and Caitlin discuss how a dental practice received a serious OSHA citation for contaminated laundry being handled unnecessarily.