A few weeks ago we posed an “interesting” question: “How DOES one do dentistry ‘remotely’?!?” Good question, right? So we did a deeper dive and discovered it actually COULD – and did – work with what many may consider surprising success and patient acceptance!
So, of course, the major suppliers of dental equipment, PPE, and practice support services (such as IT and software), immediately ramped up production, next-gen imaging development and targeted marketing. Honestly, not a day goes by when at least one – and usually several – emails hit the Inbox of a dental professional we know. And conservatively 80% of those messages either directly or indirectly focus on software, technological upgrades, imaging equipment or training geared toward an increase in tele-dentistry.
As we previously observed, tele-dentistry is HERE! And – for its rewards and risks – it appears that even as COVID restrictions ease it’s here to stay. While we outlined the MANY rewards dental professionals and patients, alike, have experienced we also need to examine the risks that accompany online connectivity.
Obviously, the first place to start is the omnipresent threat of data breaches…which show a sharp increase, as documented by the HIPAA Journal in a new report released this week:
“There was a 38.8% increase in reported healthcare data breaches in March. 62 breaches of 500 or more records reported to the HHS’ Office for Civil Rights, with hacking incidents dominating the breach reports. The high number of reported breaches is largely due to an increase in data breaches at business associates.
“The number of breached records also increased sharply with 2,913,084 healthcare records exposed or impermissibly disclosed across those 62 incidents; an increase of 135.89% from February.”
But this should not come as some big surprise. News of data hacks have also become a commonplace occurrence – just like those emails in our friend’s Inbox. And, just like those ubiquitous car alarms of the early 2000s, we now largely ignore them…and even find ourselves just wishing it would STOP! However, data breaches don’t stop you from having life-saving surgery or seeing a doctor about a concerning health issue, and they shouldn’t be another “excuse” you add to the list of reasons why you don’t see the dentist.
The answer is multi-fold. First, you will notice the mention of “business associates” as a primary source of those breaches. Conscientious dentists have a comprehensive compliance program in place specifically designed to address security and protocols for business associates. This level of protection provides that first layer of defense against data compromises.
Secondly, patients need to be made more aware of precautions THEY can – and should – take to protect their PHI (Personal Health Information). Using secure connections, varying their passwords across multiple sites, being aware of who – and where – they share their information and making it a habit of actively ASKING what the practice or facility does with regard to security. Yes, there WILL continue to be breaches. And yes, some of them WILL involve a lot more than a long-forgotten password. Yet, we continue to shop with our credit and debit cards in stores and gas stations, pay our bills online, make deposits with our smartphones, and correspond with all sorts of entities via email.
It may not be “The Jetsons” yet – we’re STILL waiting for those nifty flying cars. Although…if you take a look at some of those vintage episodes, you will see that in many ways we’ve actually SURPASSED quite a few of the “futuristic” innovations in the show! So, we take precautions, we keep an open mind, and – despite this inherent risk – we step into the 21st Century world of tele-dentistry.