In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Duane Tinker walks you through an actual corporate integrity agreement (CIA) involving a pediatric dental practice. Discover the critical elements of a CIA, including compliance programs, training, claims review, and overpayment reporting. This is crucial information to learn how to navigate CIAs and pr…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we dive deeper into corporate integrity agreements (CIAs) and discuss the OIG’s Focus on Compliance roundtable. If you participate with Medicare or Medicaid, this is crucial information. Learn the importance of a code of conduct, board involvement, and internal audits. Discover how to maintain a low err…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we kick off a series on corporate integrity agreements (CIAs) and the importance of compliance programs. Learn what exactly a CIA entails, why you need a compliance program, and how it can protect your practice. Connect with Duane Tinker on LinkedIn and explore Dental Compliance Specialists, your truste…

Don't miss this insightful conversation with Duane Tinker and Sophia Dunkley, a practice management coach specializing in case acceptance. In this episode, Sophia shares her journey to becoming a consultant, highlighting the crucial role of case acceptance in dental practices. She talks about the importance of trust, communication, and her strategi…

In this episode, Duane Tinker talks with Linda Kane of Zeroed-In Dental Solutions to explore the secrets of transforming dental offices and winning patients who stay, pay, and refer. Linda, a seasoned expert in dental billing and consulting, shares her journey from front office roles to becoming a renowned consultant and trainer in the industry. Se…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Duane Tinker provides crucial compliance reminders for your dental practice. Are you aware of OSHA's stepped-up enforcement? Are your social media posts compliant? We cover these topics and more, including the importance of patient selection and creating a safe work culture. Connect with Duane Tinker on…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Duane Tinker discusses the seven essential elements of a compliance program that you can't ignore to protect your dental practice. Learn how to comply with federal guidelines and avoid severe penalties under the False Claims Act. Connect with Duane Tinker on LinkedIn and explore Dental Compliance Specia…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Duane Tinker chats with Elijah Desmond, also known as DJ Smiles. Elijah is a dynamic entrepreneur and motivational speaker in the world of dentistry. His journey from dental hygiene to creating innovative and engaging dental events is truly inspiring. Elijah shares his path to success, the inspiration b…

In this episode of "Talking with the Toothcop," Duane talks with Dr. Matthew Norton, founder of People Plus Purpose, to discuss the transformative power of understanding and leveraging your team's strengths. Dr. Norton shares his tips on team coaching and leadership, including his "core 4" assessments that help boost team productivity and success. …

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Duane Tinker chats with Dr. Heather Dawn Lawson Myers, a practicing dentist in Jamaica and the founder of Dental Assisting Made Easy (DAME). Discover the importance of proper dental assisting training and how Dr. Lawson Myers' online platform is filling the gap in dental assistant education. From basic …

Join Duane Tinker, "The Toothcop," as he engages in a compelling conversation with Michael Gonzalez, an expert in maximizing dental practice potential by leveraging existing leads. Gain valuable insights into effectively converting your current dental practice leads into loyal, long-term patients! Michael shares his proven strategies and tactics to…

Join Duane Tinker as he welcomes Leah Roling, an acclaimed life coach and celebrated author of "Shift" and "Nobody's Coming to Save You." Specializing in dental professionals' growth and success, Leah shares transformative insights aimed at enhancing both personal and professional realms. Embracing the Platinum Rule with Leah Roling: Discover the t…

Clinical Recordkeeping for Dental Assistants for Nifty Thrifty Dentists Group 🦷 The importance of proper documentation and compliance in dental practices: Learn from Dwayne Tinker, former police officer for the Texas Dental Board, as he shares insights on #DentalCompliance and record-keeping. Key Takeaways: 1️⃣ Proper notations for medications and …

Amanda Hill RDH, BSDH has been a dental hygienist for over 26 years. When she took her annual infection control training in 2017, the speaker covered waterlines. She never knew that she had to do more than flush her waterlines. No one else in her dental office knew that they were supposed to do more. Her practice failed their first water test, badl…

Without question, the Covid pandemic had a large impact on the healthcare field. It highlighted monstrous changes that needed to occur in the infection control space. MCS put its resources into investigating standards of care in infection control. MCS came out with some new technologies that will transform the world of infection control. Paul Sauer…

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 dentis…

Everyone needs a compliance program tailored to the needs of their practice. Justin Withrow jumps in when a compliance program is absent and things go horribly wrong. Perhaps a client was employing an individual that's excluded from participation in the Federal Healthcare Program that should have been caught. There is a multitude of things that cou…

When you’re in the midst of a busy day in your dental office, the details are the things that you typically let slide, right? But in the dental business, it’s the details that keep you on track and it’s the details that protect your office from huge fines and your Doctor from losing her licenses. This episode highlights some of the things I’ve seen…

During the 4th Quarter of 2021 we saw a lot of enforcement activity, from the agencies that are announcing their fraud enforcement efforts to insurance companies that are initiating audits, etc. So whatever you’re involved with (Medicare, Medicaid, Indian Health Services, etc.), be sure you have an audit process in place that includes good records …

I started the Talking with the Toothcop podcast in December 2017. Andrea has been with me since early 2019. We love doing this podcast together. Sadly, it’s time for us to hit the pause button. We will be back—I promise! But we have a lot on our plates right now and it makes sense to pull back temporarily. If this podcast has been rewarding and edu…

I work with dental offices and do a lot of dental inspections/consults. I help people identify what they need to do differently. We talk through OSHA, HIPAA, infection control, radiology, medications, state board compliance, etc. But I get really excited about infection control and sterilization. That’s my stage—my moment to shine. In this episode …

It’s September! And it’s officially Dental Infection Control Awareness Month! We get you’re probably sick and tired of hearing about COVID and infection control. So guess what? Andrea and I will cover infection control without mentioning COVID, other than right now...We’ll cover getting a point-person in place and written policies and procedures. C…

Did you know that September is National Preparedness Month? So in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we share some quick tips your practice can follow to be prepared—for whatever may come. We also share a few ways you can take advantage of “Slowtember” and prep for the year to come. Outline of This Episode [0:22] Quick tips for emergency pr…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, you get a glimpse into the “behind the scenes” of what recording an episode really looks like. From food pranks to our favorite Starbucks orders—every tangent that we usually edit out is on full display. Don’t miss a fun and quirky episode that also includes some important news about our Dental Complian…

Did you know there are specific rules from the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) regarding giving things of value (i.e. gifts) to solicit potential customers? In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Andrea and I talk about some of the specific rules on gifts and kickbacks. This is stuff that you need to be aware of so you don’t get hit wi…

Are PMP inquiries required for sedation meds that are dispensed in the office? A listener read through the rules in January 2020 and spoke with a sedation officer and was advised that they did not need to do the PMP check if they were dispensing in the office. But the way the rule is worded makes it seem as though you do need to. So in this episode…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, I share some sobering news that recently happened in Kansas. I’ll also share some important updates that dentists need to be aware of that were highlighted in the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners Newsletter. Stay up-to-date on the latest dentistry compliance issues—don’t miss it. Outline of This Ep…

A lot of people get the Treatment, Payment, and Healthcare Operations (TPO) Exception wrong. So in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Andrea and I dissect what it is. We also talk about what to do if you need patient authorization and the importance of informed consent for treatment. Don’t miss it! Outline of This Episode [0:21] Coffee + Ro…

Recently, I’ve dealt with some level of confusion surrounding the Hepatitis B vaccinations (HBV) and post-vaccination testing requirements. So in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, I’m going to cover what both OSHA and the CDC require for the HBV and post-vaccination testing. Outline of This Episode [2:03] Hepatitis B vaccination requiremen…

This episode of Talking with the Toothcop is a two-parter! In the first half, you’ll get a look behind the curtain and get to know me—Duane Tinker—and my co-host, Andrea Baysinger. In the second half of this episode, we share an important reminder about nitrous oxide compliance rules. Don’t miss it! Outline of This Episode [3:01] How Andrea became …

In our last episode, we talked about how the Texas State Board allowed their COVID-19 rules to expire. We think it’s a good thing! But a lot of dentists are not happy about it. So in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Andrea and I dive a little deeper into the topic. We’ll share why we think it’s a good thing and what dentists can do moving…

The Texas dental board let the COVID-19 rule expire (rule 108.7 subsection 16). How does that impact dentists moving forward? What rules do some providers still need to follow? What procedures are still recommended by the CDC? We cover it all in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop! Outline of This Episode [3:20] The impact of the expiration o…

Are you doing proper sedation and anesthesia reviews? Are you making sure you don’t have drugs sitting in your office that expired pre-COVID? Are you checking with a patient’s primary care provider before administering anesthesia? Being busy and overwhelmed isn’t an excuse for not doing your due diligence. In this episode of Talking with the Toothc…

Last week, I read an article about an oral surgeon in North Carolina who got busted after a patient died. So in this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we’re going to talk about what happened, why it happened, and how it could have been prevented. This isn’t to shame the dentist or staff involved, but to learn from the mistakes that were made. T…

I recently realized it’s been so long since I’ve played my guitar that the strings have started to rust. It’s sad and embarrassing to realize I’ve let something I love that’s important to me get forgotten. But it made me question: Where do you have rusty strings in your dental practice? Where are you not putting in the energy and effort into things…

Who says compliance training can’t be fun—or funny? In this fun episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we take a short break from our scheduled programming to hopefully share some laughs. Plus, we drop some important news about upcoming events. Don’t miss it! Outline of This Episode [2:08] Why OSHA training is dangerous [6:44] An intentional demonst…

In the first episode of this series, we talked about what a corporate integrity agreement is. In the second episode, we covered focusing on compliance. In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we are going to walk through an actual corporate integrity agreement. If you’re caught in the OIG’s crosshairs, this is just one example of what you mig…

In the last episode, we talked about what a corporate integrity agreement is and what compliance programs should look like. In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we continue our series on corporate integrity agreements by looking at the OIG’s Focus on Compliance roundtable discussion. If you participate with Medicare or Medicaid, you HAVE t…

This episode is the beginning of a series about corporate integrity agreements. One of the important elements that is part of a corporate integrity agreement is implementing a compliance program. Why is it so important to have a compliance program? What should it consist of? How can a compliance program save your practice? Find out in this episode …

Emergency medical kits are essential for dental practices—but most have a kit thrown under a cabinet that’s stocked with expired medications. Scott Sankary is the Co-Founder at Protect It First Aid & Safety, a company striving to change this unsafe practice. They supply emergency products and monitor expiration dates to keep customers in compliance…

Are you cultivating a culture of compliance in your dental practice? Are you careful about what you post on social media? Are you staying on top of X-ray machine maintenance? In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Andrea and I dive into some important compliance reminders you need to be mindful of—especially because OSHA is cracking the whip…

If you fail to follow the infection control protocols that you KNOW will prevent the transmission of disease, you’ll find yourself dealing with an infection control breach. In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, India Chance, Michelle Strange, Andrea, and I wrap up our conversation on infection control breaches. We talk about posting on soci…

What qualifies as an infection control breach? What is the easiest way to prevent them? In this episode of Talking with the Toothchop, India Chance and Michelle Strange return for a conversation about infection control breaches. We talk about what they are, why we can’t ignore them, and how we can do our part to prevent them. Outline of This Episod…

Why is the role of an infection control coordinator so important? How do you simplify safety so any dental office can appoint an infection control coordinator and properly train them? In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, Michelle Strange and India Chance join Andrea and I to talk about the importance of having an infection control coordina…

Dr. Lisa Kane is to New England what I am to Texas. She is THE compliance guru. She practiced dentistry for 20 years before switching to consulting. After years of dealing with migraines from leaning over patients, she made the move—which she’s done for the last four years. She’s always loved the business side of dentistry and it was the perfect fi…

We like to provide clients all the materials they need to prepare for the next calendar year. We usually try to get it to them before Christmas, so it’s a sort of Christmas present. One of the things we include in this packet is a blank master chemical list. We’ve been getting a lot of questions about this list, as well as establishing a code of co…

Needlestick injuries have been cropping up again in the last few months. These injuries are considered “occupational hazards” in dentistry—but should they be? Why is it happening? What’s the contributing cause? In this episode of Talking With The Toothcop, Andrea and I talk about this costly “never event” and how to best prevent it. Outline of This…

In this episode of Talking with the Toothcop, we’re sharing a few more important reminders and things to stay on top of in 2021. This includes evaluating X-ray equipment, quarterly water testing, new CE requirements, completing CPR courses, and handling your exclusions monitoring. Why is it so important to stay on top of these things? Find out in t…

What’s new in 2021? CE requirements are changing, PMP self-query rules are in effect, and e-prescribing has officially kicked off. Andrea and I talk about all of the changes—and where to learn more—in this episode of Talking With The Toothcop. Don't miss it! Outline of This Episode [0:21] The first episode of 2021! [2:26] PMP Self-query [4:20] Chec…

If COVID has taught us anything, it’s given us clarity. The first thing you should question for 2021 is “What do you want?” Dentists are realizing that “I might” or “I should” needs to turn into a solid plan. Do you want to recover losses? Do you want to grow? Do you want to slow down? Sometimes the best way to implement goals is to have someone co…