FAQs
What does Customize Compliance provide that I can’t just do on my own?
In our experience, most practices can handle individual compliance tasks, but maintaining full and
ongoing compliance requires much more than completing a checklist. It demands a structured system,
consistent administration, and someone accountable for ensuring requirements aren’t overlooked.
This includes staying current with regulatory updates, tracking how often each requirement must be
completed and documented, and adapting compliance processes as your dental team changes over time.
These responsibilities can quickly become time-consuming and distracting for you and your staff.
Customize Compliance provides the organization, consistency, and oversight needed to manage
compliance effectively. We take control of the administrative responsibilities related to proper task
completion and documentation as well as accountability with your team, so your time and attention
remain focused on what matters most—delivering exceptional patient care.
A significant advantage provided by Customize Compliance is the continuity of a structured and managed
system that remains in place, regardless of whether a knowledgeable member of your dental team leaves
the practice. Additionally, our team brings firsthand experience with inspections and their potential
outcomes, allowing us to help you prepare with confidence and avoid common pitfalls.
What is the typical implementation time frame for Customize Compliance?
We divide the implementation process into manageable steps according to the level of urgency associated
with each of the various tasks. Requirements for which noncompliance may result in an immediate office
closure are prioritized for completion within the first 10 days. Additional requirements that do not pose an
immediate risk to employees or to patients are scheduled to be completed within the first 45 days, with
ongoing updates monitored and completed according to their required intervals, be they weekly, monthly,
quarterly, or annually.
The speed with which compliance is achieved and maintained is largely dependent upon the commitment
level of the practice owner, as demonstrated by their willingness to support and encourage their team to
engage with and be accountable to their Customize Compliance liason.
If I’ve been practicing for years and have never been inspected by regulators, why should I
worry about it now?
In dental terms, this is the equivalent of saying:
“I don’t brush my teeth, and I don’t have any cavities right now, so why should I start brushing?”
While it is our hope that our colleagues will never know the ordeal of an office inspection, personal
experience has taught us that achieving and maintaining compliance is a significantly more manageable
process than the stress, time constraints, and financial impacts of an unannounced inspection, resulting
investigation, and considerable impact to the practice owner and the dental team.
I am an associate dentist or dental hygienist and I have no ownership or administrative
control in the practice. Isn’t it the responsibility of the practice owner to ensure that all the
requirements are met?
Dr. Whetten had the stressful, costly, and embarrassing experience of enduring the investigative process
after an unannounced inspection at a practice where he worked only part time as an associate dentist
resulted in formal disciplinary action. Although he had no ownership and no administrative authority in
the practice, he learned the unpleasant reality that all licensed practitioners have the responsibility for
ensuring all regulatory requirements are met with regard to training, processes, and documentation.
That experience was the catalyst for the creation of Customize Compliance. Our aim is to reduce the risk
and increase the peace of mind surrounding regulatory compliance for all our licensed colleagues and
team members, regardless of ownership status. We direct our efforts toward private practitioners because
this is the practice model we know and strive to protect.
If I am buying a practice and the seller has indicated the practice is in compliance, do I have
to do anything other than update their annual training and documentation?
While it is the responsibility of the selling dentist to ensure the practice is in compliance at the time of
sale, if the practice purchase represents a complete change of ownership, the purchasing dentist is required
to recreate all of the compliance documentation as well as to provide initial employee training since the
practice is considered a newly created entity and employer. Many of the requirements must be
implemented within the first 10 days of operation.
If I am selling my practice, why should I put the time and resources into becoming compliant
now?
When selling a dental practice, one of the disclosures to which the selling dentist attests is whether the
practice is in compliance with all regulations related to OSHA, HIPAA, and State dental practice acts. If
the office is out of compliance, the buying dentist may have grounds to pursue civil action against the
seller for misrepresentation of a material fact during the sale.
What if I’d rather just pay the fines associated with violations instead of going to the
work and expense of remaining compliant?
Perhaps the best way to answer this question is to invite you to copy and paste the following question into
an online search engine:
What is the average regulatory fine for US dental offices?
After reading the summary and examples your search will generate, you will likely agree that it is not
worth the risk to your financial wellbeing or your reputation to ignore any of the known requirements.
My patients love me, and I’ve never had someone complain about me to regulators. Do I
really need to worry about making sure all of the requirements are met?
Most regulatory investigations originate with a complaint by a former employee more than a patient
complaint, although both can result in an office inspection. Regulators may also inspect a dental office at
random if they choose to do so.
Regardless of the reasons that initiate an inspection, it is worth noting that the requirements are in place to
reduce unnecessary risk to you, your team, and your patients. Maintaining proper compliance is one way
to build trust with your team and with your patients, by demonstrating your commitment to excellence in
clinical as well as the administrative aspects of your practice.
What are the advantages of utilizing the Done Desk system when compared with other available platforms and resources?
Most dental teams don’t fall behind because people don’t care — they fall behind because they’re relying on memory, reminders, and tribal knowledge instead of structure. Done Desk fixes that by giving dental organizations one shared platform for clinical excellence, regulatory compliance, training, and recurring operational work. Because the right work isn’t just OSHA or HIPAA. The right work is the work that protects patients, protects people, and protects the practice. Done Desk is the operating system for dental organizations that want consistency without micromanagement.