As a dental marketing firm, MDPM understands the rules and regulations dentists are held to – the standards for doctors are much higher than those for professionals outside the medical industry. Recently, the ADA distributed an electronic newsletter that mentioned the requirement for dentists to have HIPAA privacy practices displayed on their websites. Are you in compliance with this federal regulation?
The Mandate for HIPAA Notice on Dentist Websites
Code of Federal Regulations, Title 45 – Public Wellfare states:
(3) Specific requirements for electronic notice. (i) A covered entity that maintains a web site that provides information about the covered entity’s customer services or benefits must prominently post its notice on the web site and make the notice available electronically through the web site.
How Dentists Should Comply
Current clients of MDPM should send their HIPAA forms via fax (877-492-8838) or .pdf file (seo@moderndentalmarketing.com), and we will immediately post your form, which will be your notice and, thus, will make your practice compliant on this issue. If you are not an MDPM client dentist, contact your current webmaster and request that your HIPAA form be posted as soon as possible. Should you run into problems, feel free to call MDPM for assistance. We are here to serve dentists with reliable, compliant dental marketing solutions.
If you do not have a HIPAA form, visit the ADA website for more information.
Other Dental Marketing Regulations
While HIPAA compliance is a federal requirement for dentists, state dental boards and the ADA have their own guidelines for dental practice marketing. In Texas, for instance, dentists are not allowed to use testimonials in marketing. The Internet age, recently, has brought us review sites, like Yelp! and Google+, and dentists cannot control whether patients post testimonials on third-party websites. However, where is the line? What is acceptable, and what is not?
When it comes to your professional reputation, compliance with regulatory agencies’ marketing guidelines is imperative. Your website text should not include statements of superiority or comparisons between your services and those of another dentist. It also should not feature statements like “predictable results.” These examples are pulled from the ADA’s marketing guidelines. Not all dental marketing companies read and understand compliance issues. As your marketing consultant, the staff at MDPM goes above and beyond, helping our client dentists comply with regulations, while also filling their appointment books with new patients!
If you’d like to talk with us about website compliance or your dental practice’s marketing strategy, give us a call today at 972-781-8861.