Month: October 2020

Schiff Dental Clients- HHS Phase 3 – Update October 23, 2020

HHS Grant Relief Fund – Phase 3

Yesterday, the HHS changed the rules yet again, to now include the loss of Gross Revenue during the Pandemic. As a result of this change, we are encouraging clients to file for the additional funding under Phase 3 of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF).

You can apply again, even if you already applied. You can apply if you are a “start up” Dental Practice (January through March 2020). You can apply if you did not receive the proper amount of funding under Phase2. Please keep in mind, these funds are currently taxable.

There will be reporting requirements in the future (July 2021) in order for you to substantiate the funding. If you cannot support the funding, the excess will have to be repaid back to HHS. What can you use the HHS Funding for, besides the loss of Revenue? Here is a list of expenses.

a. Supplies: Expenses paid for purchase of supplies used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus during the reporting period. Such items could include: personal protective equipment (PPE), hand sanitizer, or supplies for patient screening.

b. Equipment: Expenses paid for purchase of equipment used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus during the reporting period, such as ventilators, updates to HVAC systems, etc.                                                          

c. Information Technology (IT): Expenses paid for IT or interoperability systems to expand or preserve care delivery during the reporting period, such as electronic health record licensing fees, telehealth infrastructure, increased bandwidth, and teleworking to support remote workforce. 

d. Facilities: Expenses paid for facility-related costs used to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus during the reporting period, such as lease or purchase of permanent or temporary structures, or to modify facilities to accommodate patient treatment practices revised due to coronavirus.

e. Other Healthcare Related Expenses: Any other actual expenses, not previously captured above, that were paid to prevent, prepare for, or respond to the coronavirus.

We are encouraging all clients, to start to maintain a list of Covid Expenses you have incurred within your practice between the period of March 15, 2020 and June 30, 2022.

For additional information on the HHS Phase 3, please click on the following links:

ADA News – October 22, 2020 – https://www.ada.org/en/publications/ada-news/2020-archive/october/hhs-provider-relief-fund-open-for-phase-3-applications?utm_source=DEC_DIQ+Morning+Briefing&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS201022074&o_eid=5213J4648590B4Z&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C5213J4648590B4Z

What is the Provider Relief Fund? – https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/cares-act-provider-relief-fund/for-providers/index.html?language=es#what-is-the

HHS Webcast – November 2, 2020 – click here to register – https://webex.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1392456&tp_key=eddc1773dc

ADA – FAQ’s – HHS – https://success.ada.org/~/media/CPS/Files/COVID/HHS_Provider_Relief_Fund_FAQ.pdf

HHS Client Assistance à If you have questions, please contact the HHS Provider Support Line at 1-866-569-3522 during the hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT Monday-Friday.

Schiff Dental CPAs | Medicine for Your Business

The business world often goes hand in hand with stress. Pressures to attract new customers, meet quotas, or increase productivity can make working feel like an unpleasant chore. If you have begun to dread going into the office due to an oppressive atmosphere, chances are strong that you are not alone in your feelings. Turning things around for you and your team may be easier than you think. Consider adding fun back to your business with a daily dose of laughter.

 While the addition of humor to the workplace does not move deadlines or reduce the expectations for performance, it can help create a more enjoyable environment for everyone there. When the office feels fun and engaging, the work feels lighter and more accessible. Scientific studies have shown that laughter relieves tension, boosts the immune system, and relaxes the muscles. Additionally, laughing can increase memory, energy, and creativity and elevate the mood. Every office can benefit from these effects.

There are many ways to inject some humor into your workdays. Try sharing a joke with your team to start the huddle and invite them to bring their own. Post a board in a shared space and challenge everyone to bring a funny image or comic strip to hang. Have a silly shirt day once a week or once a month. Take silly photos or videos of you and your team to share on social media.

Embracing a little more humor with your colleagues and team takes only a small investment of time and can yield large increases in mood, productivity, and worker morale. For more ideas on making your work more engaging, contact our Schiff Dental CPAs.

Dental CPA | Dental Practice Human Resources: FAQs

Whether you manage human resource decisions and concerns yourself or simply oversee your practice manager, as the business owner, you are responsible for ensuring your policies are legal, appropriate, and applied fairly. You may find it useful to take a moment to review a few commonly asked questions regarding aspects of human resources for dental practice owners.

What questions do I need to avoid during interviews?

There are a few basic, even common questions we would not think twice about asking during conversation that are not appropriate for an interview setting. Some of these include:

  • Are you married?
  • Do you have children?
  • What is the origin of your (unusual) name?

While all these questions can be meant to break the ice, they can also lead to the sharing of information about protected class status, such as disability, family status, ethnic or religious heritage, and others. Even if the answers would have no bearing on your decision, these questions can leave you open to a complaint or suit if the position is not offered.

What should I do if an employee refuses to sign their disciplinary action form?

Bring a witness into the room, note the refusal to sign, and have the witness sign confirmation that the disciplinary action form was provided. Additionally, remind the employee that refusal to sign does not nullify the disciplinary action and further infractions can still lead to more serious consequences.

We use software to track the hours our employees work. The program has a function to automatically deduct meal times so the employee does not need to manually clock in and out. Should we use that function?

Before you decide to implement an automatic system of this type, consider the time saved by not manually entering hours. Then compare that to the time lost by entering corrections if a team member misses lunch, returns early, or runs late. If your office rarely deviates from schedule, this may be beneficial. However, if you find that you are making corrections more than once or twice a week, it may be costing more time than it saves.

If you have other questions regarding staffing concerns, contact our office for a practice management consultation.