We had a very good attendance and lots of participation in our OPEN FORUM.
Our new sponsor, HR attorney Helene Figman, offered advice and answered general HR questions including some about sick time, associate dentists, and having an “inclement weather” policy (rather than a “Snow Day” policy since we could have as many days off for hurricanes).
There was a lot of discussion about safety in the office. Several members spoke of how uncomfortable many of them were when certain patients were in the schedule; the patient that used a lot of sexual innuendo and another that was unhappy with his treatment. Helene offered that every office should have a specific protocol about how to handle dangerous patients and situations that arise. One of our members talked about the “lockdown” device that they have on their doors and sent me the information:
Taylor Brothers Door Lock, LLC
855-644-4856 www.classroomlockdown.com
A new member mentioned that they had a presentation on what to do in an office emergency and that many of the things that they would normally do would be wrong. She gave me their information and I have reached out to them about doing a presentation for our group. I’ll let you know.
Another topic that came up was office hours on holidays and Helene mentioned that Veteran’s Day is an odd holiday that has different towns mandating opening time as later in the day. She is going to do some research and let us know. As you can see, Helene is a wonderful resource and will be very valuable!
Many attendees thought that this was one of the best meetings we have ever had!
Lastly, because many comments that are made at these Open Forum meetings are personal, it was suggested that only Office Mangers attend these meetings and other office personnel be allowed to attend any meeting that is appropriate to their jobs (assistants and hygienists attend OSHA/HIPAA/BORID presentations, everyone attend Cyber Security, etc…) We are discussing that more and will let you know what the members decide.
