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Why You Shouldn’t Trust Your Financial Advisor’s Awards

Posted on October 4, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

OVERHEARD IN THE DOCTOR’S LOUNGE

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By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

According to money journalists Max Tailwagger and Allan Roth of MoneyWatch, the trade publication Medical Economics Magazine [“advertising supplement”] nearly listed a dog on its’ 2013 list of Best Financial Advisors for Doctors. Indeed, being listed as a top financial advisor in this publication would enhance any advisor’s credibility as well as reach a high income readership.

For example, several advisors in the Financial Planning Association, mentions this prestigious award year after year. And, the NAPFA organization of fee-only financial planners has issued press releases when member advisors make this annual list. In fact, in 2008, it touted that 52/150 listed FAs were NAPFA members.

Yet, the dog is well known in the financial advisory world, having allegedly received a plaque as one of 2009 America’s Top Financial Planners by the Consumers’ Research Council of America, and has appeared in several books including Pound Foolish and Money for Life. The fee for Maxwell Tailwagger CFP® [a five year old Dachshund] was reported to be $750 with $1,000 for a bold listing. Colorado Securities Commissioner Fred Joseph is reported to have said, “Once again, Max is gaining national notoriety for his astute, and almost superhuman, abilities in the financial arena.”

The only two qualifications for the listing were to pay the fee and not have a complaint against them. In 2009, James Putman, then the NAPFA chairman who touted his own Medical Economics award, was charged by the SEC for securities fraud. NAPFA spokesperson Laura Fisher allegedly opined that “NAPFA no longer promotes the Medical Economics Top Advisors for Doctors list. We felt promoting a list that included stock-brokers was inconsistent with NAPFA’s mission to advance the fee-only profession.” When an advisor name drops an honor to you, congratulate him and then ask how s/he achieved the award. Ask how many nominees versus award recipients there were. What were the criteria for selection and how were they nominated. Ask if they had to pay for the honor, and go online to check out the organization.

Then ask yourself this question: If your financial advisor is buying credibility, do you really want to trust your financial future to him or her?

Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dog-nearly-fetches-prestigious-financial-advisor-honor/

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EDUCATION: Books

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META ANALYSIS: In Medicine

Posted on May 25, 2025 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

DEFINITION

By Staff Reporters

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Meta-analysis is a quantitative, formal, epidemiological study design used to systematically assess previous research studies to derive conclusions about that body of research. Outcomes from a meta-analysis may include a more precise estimate of the effect of treatment or risk factor for disease, or other outcomes, than any individual study contributing to the pooled analysis. The examination of variability or heterogeneity in study results is also a critical outcome.

Statistics: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2025/03/14/statistics-physicians-beware/

The benefits of meta-analysis include a consolidated and quantitative review of a large, and often complex, sometimes apparently conflicting, body of literature. The specification of the outcome and hypotheses that are tested is critical to the conduct of meta-analyses, as is a sensitive literature search. A failure to identify the majority of existing studies can lead to erroneous conclusions; however, there are methods of examining data to identify the potential for studies to be missing; for example, by the use of funnel plots.

Evidence Based Medicine: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2016/05/18/an-fa-hayekian-defense-of-evidence-based-medicine/

Rigorously conducted meta-analyses are useful tools in evidence-based medicine. The need to integrate findings from many studies ensures that meta-analytic research is desirable and the large body of research now generated makes the conduct of this research feasible.

Evidence Based Dentistry: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2009/03/23/reflections-on-evidence-based-dentistry/

Meta Analysis in Medical Research: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3049418/

EDUCATION: Books

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Dental Managed Care is Substandard Care

Posted on October 8, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Dental Managed Care [DMC] is Substandard Care – count on it!

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Have you noticed most employer-sponsored dental plans boast savings of 30% and more on dental care, without mentioning how unsustainable discounts harms their employees?

Dental Managed Care [DMC] is substandard care: Discount dentistry, like virtually all underfunded handwork, has always been substandard … Or perhaps someone would like to argue that intricate surgery in sensitive mouths of nervous patients is improved when rushed.

Discounts are popular

Those who market obscure, hard to understand managed care plans to clueless, perhaps non-caring employers, do not control the quality of the discounted dentistry they sell.

Think about it: Discount dentistry without quality control. Can you think of a worse idea in healthcare?

What’s more, not one Delta Dental, Humana or Cigna executive can be held accountable for causing harm to equally clueless dental patients through under financed dentistry they sell. Employees who must choose their dentists from preferred provider lists have forfeited freedom of choice, whether they realize it or not. Their underfunded, substandard dentistry is subsidized by tax payers as a special tax-free benefit, benefiting unaccountable third parties most of all.

For example:

Want to know what you get with managed care dentistry? Quick prophys.
How many of you get your teeth cleaned in 30 minutes or less? Do they feel clean?

One Hour

l always allowed my hygienists 1 hour to clean patients’ teeth simply because it often takes that long to do the job right – regardless what insurers say hygienists’ time is worth. The economic climate is tough on fee-for-service.

As I am considering signing on as a preferred provider – not because I want to – I notice that the fees allowed by insurers do not cover the hourly rate of most hygienists… unless they can “clean” teeth, take x-rays, take blood pressure, go over patients’ medical history, allow time for the doctor to do a quick exam and turn around the room in less than 30 minutes.

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Assessment

The motto of my practice is “Dentistry Unhurried.” I don’t want to compete in a race to the bottom which uninformed dental patients always lose.

Conclusion

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, URLs and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements. Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

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Filed under: Ethics, Health Insurance, Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Cigna, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, delta dental, dental managed care, Dentistry Unhurried, DMC, Humana | 5 Comments »

CYBERSECURITY: Healthcare Podcast

Posted on July 10, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

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“Victims of cyber extortion and ransomware increase in 2024”

By Dan Raywood for SC Magazine, July 8, 2024.
https://www.scmagazine.com/news/victims-of-cyber-extortion-and-ransomware-increase-in-2024

“…small businesses with fewer than 1,000 employees are four times more likely to be impacted by attackers than medium and large businesses.” That’s us, Doc. (You might not get this kind of news from the American Dental Association).

DARRELL PRUITT DDS

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Protecting Healthcare: Unveiling the Cybersecurity Imperative

Podcast: A Conversation with Dan Dotson

RICH HELPPIE The Common Bridge

EDITOR’S NOTE: I first met Rich in B-school, when I was a student, back in the day. He was the Founder and CEO of Superior Consultant Holdings Corp. Rich graciously wrote the Foreword to one of my first textbooks on financial planning for physicians and healthcare professionals. Today, Rich is a successful entrepreneur in the technology, health and finance space.

-Dr. David E. Marcinko MBA MEd CMP®

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A DENTAL INDUSTRY SECRET: No One Wants to Share!

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

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Ransomware is getting worse, not better.

One doesn’t see this in dental literature, but ransomware is not going away. It is getting worse. “Ransomware Victim Count Increased by 75% in 2023” By Steve Alder for The HIPAA Journal, Jun 4, 2024. https://www.hipaajournal.com/ransomware-victim-count-increased-by-75-in-2023/

A new report from the Google-owned cybersecurity firm Mandiant suggests several reasons for the increase in attacks. “First, there has been a resetting of the cybe rcriminal ecosystem after a tumultuous year in 2022, an influx of new actors conducting attacks, new partnerships between existing groups, and members of disrupted, prolific ransomware groups such as Conti starting up their own RaaS operations. While the attacks in 2023 largely followed the same patterns as the previous year, there were some notable changes with several groups trialing new tactics, techniques, and procedures.

For example, to increase the pressure on victims to pay, attacks on healthcare providers saw extortion demands issued to patients whose data were stolen, threatening to publish their medical data if they did not personally pay a ransom. The ALPHV group created a searchable database to make stolen data more accessible, and threats were issued to report attacks on publicly traded companies to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).”

Imagine how ransomware would affect your practice if the extortion scheme bypassed you to directly threaten your patients – and blamed you for not paying the “reasonable” ransom demand.

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Medical [Dental] Anti-Defamation Contracts and Doctor Accountability

Posted on April 27, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Was the ADA Complicit?

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

If you were to walk into my dental office with a toothache, and I told you that before I relieve your pain, you have to agree not to say bad things about me on the internet, how badly would the tooth have to be hurting to keep you from walking out the door?

The article, “Toothache lawsuit may stifle medical gag orders against online rants”, by JoNel Aleccia, was posted on MSN.com years ago.

[Robert Lee, 42] who had a bad toothache has filed a class-action lawsuit against his New York dentist after she required him to sign a contract promising not to trash-talk her online — and then fined him thousands of dollars trying to enforce it.”

Aleccia adds: “[Dr. Stacy Makhnevich] was among hundreds of medical professionals nationwide in recent years who refused to care for patients unless they signed anti-defamation contracts. In the contracts, the doctors and dentists promised not to evade federal patient privacy protections in exchange for patients’ agreeing not to post public comments about them.”

The Dentist

Other than its obvious ineffectiveness for this particular Manhattan dentist, whose practice is on the 69 th. floor of the Chrysler Building, Lexington Avenue at East 42St., (212) 697-4400, what’s wrong with this business plan?

First of all, aside from the insult, if a dentist required you to sign a contract forfeiting your right to express your opinion about the quality of care even before being seen, how confident would it make you feel about the doctor’s abilities?

The HIPAA Question

Then there’s HIPAA. It’s sad that healthcare providers on the 69th. floor of the Chrysler Building would take advantage of vulnerable Americans who don’t understand that their right to privacy isn’t something that can be withheld – even as part of a twisted “copyright” deal intended to enable a dentist to dodge accountability. It seems to me like the Office of Civil Rights as well as the Attorney General should be alerted. How is threatening a patient’s privacy in return for direly-needed treatment different than extortion?

The Gotcha!

Mr. Lee had forgotten the contract until months later when he allegedly discovered that Dr. Makhnevich had overcharged him by about $4,000, improperly filed the insurance and then refused to provide him with the documents he needed to file the claim himself. That’s when he started posting rants on sites like Yelp and DoctorBase, such as, “Avoid at all cost! Scamming their customers!” and “Honestly, how do you live with yourself? Just try being a decent human being.”

“Within days, Makhnevich demanded that the sites remove the comments and threatened to sue Lee. She also said he was infringing on her copyright provisions and started sending invoices for fines of $100 a day. By October, the total topped $4,600, he said.”

The Service

Since the dentist purchased the right to use Medical Justice Inc. anti-defamation contracts to prevent complaints from dis-satisfied customers from being discussed on the internet, I say she is due a refund. What’s more, if she’s given any trouble about it, she should get on the internet and complain – if she didn’t forfeit that right as part of the agreement.

The ADA

So where did Dr. Stacy Makhnevich learn about Medical Justice Inc.’s ineffective, unethical and probably illegal anti-defamation contract service? Of all places, it may well have been in ADA Headquarters, 211 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, (312) 440-2500

Dr. Jeffrey Segal [MD, JD], the neurosurgeon and founder of Medical Justice Services Inc. which sold providers like Dr. Makhnevich the right to use his company’s contracts, was a featured speaker at the American Dental Association’s [ADA] annual Benefits Conference last year.

The ADA leadership’s decision to invite Dr. Segal to advertise his product at a benefits conference (?) reveals the old timers’ underlying paranoia that makes them prefer silence from members as well as their own dental patients.

Assessment

Since the ADA effectively put its stamp of approval on Medical Justice’s anti-defamation contracts, don’t you think the ADA News should at least post a warning about the liability to members who attended Dr. Segal’s presentation in ADA Headquarters? Let’s watch dentistry’s leaders ignore the abysmal results of yet another half-baked blunder caused by people too proud to listen.

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

Filed under: Ethics, Op-Editorials, Practice Management, Professional Liability, Pruitt's Platform, Risk Management | Tagged: ADA, anti-defamation contracts, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, Dr. Jeffrey Segal, Dr. Stacy Makhnevich], HIPAA, Medical Justice Inc, OCR | 11 Comments »

DENTISTRY: Ransomware e-Dental Records

Posted on February 3, 2024 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

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The ransom one pays to extortionists is only part of the costs. Now there are also legal liabilities to paying.

We will be hearing much more about ransomware in dentistry soon.

Guaranteed.

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New Ransomware Reporting Requirements Kick in as Victims Increasingly Avoid Paying

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IRS Inheritance Rule Change and the “Delta Dental” Data Breach

Posted on December 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

SPONSOR: http://www.MarcinkoAssociates.com

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The IRS is demanding billions from small business who took this credit ...

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The IRS Quietly Changed the Rules on Children’s Inheritance

The IRS just issued Revenue Ruling 2023-2, which had a substantial impact on estate planning, particularly where an irrevocable trust is involved.

In the last decade or so, more families have begun utilizing irrevocable trusts to protect their assets from spend-down in order to qualify for government benefits, such as Medicaid and VA Aid and Attendance. Prior to the issuance of this ruling, it was unclear whether assets passing to beneficiaries through an irrevocable trust would receive a step-up in basis, thereby eliminating any capital gains taxes that would otherwise be owed.

Historically, assets that are disposed of during an individual’s lifetime are subject to capital gains taxes on the increase in value of that asset over time. The amount of capital gains owed is determined largely by the difference between the value at the time of purchase and the value at the time of transfer.

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource

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Delta Dental of California data breach exposed info of 7 million people

“Delta Dental of California and its affiliates are warning almost seven million patients that they suffered a data breach after personal data was exposed in a MOVEit Transfer software breach.Delta Dental of California provides 24 months of free credit monitoring and identity theft protection services to impacted patients to mitigate the risk of their exposed data.”

LINK: https://tinyurl.com/bp4u2chv

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BANKRUPTCY: e-Dental Records

Posted on October 12, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

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Even though the American Dental Association officially disagrees, if you haven’t adopted electronic dental records, now is not the time.

“Ransomware attack threatens to expose McLaren Health patient data” – Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel notes: “This attack shows, once again, how susceptible our information infrastructure may be”. Organizations that handle our most personal data have a responsibility to implement safety measures that can withstand cyber-attacks and ensure that a patient’s private health information remains private.”

LINK: https://www.mlive.com/crime/2023/10/ransomware-attack-threatens-to-expose-mclaren-health-patient-data.html

I’d give it a few more years. Otherwise, your digital records could be the cause of your bankruptcy.

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Ransomware hits small businesses too

Business Tips from SCORE: Hackers focusing on small businesses. Here’s how to protect yourself, by Marc L. Goldberg for Cape Cod Times, October 8, 2023.

“Ransomware is the type of malware that has been on the rise over the last couple of years. After the ransomware infects the device, you’ll know right away. It encrypts files (or parts of the infrastructure) and displays the ransom message on the screen of the victim. Some strains can steal data making the organization vulnerable. Those that are most vulnerable gather and store lots of data — health care, insurance, banking and credit card providers.”

If a dental office is hacked, and it becomes known in the community that patients’ identities are appearing on the dark web, it is likely to cause bankruptcy.

LINK: https://www.capecodtimes.com/story/business/columns/2023/10/08/small-businesses-are-hacker-targets-heres-how-to-avoid-an-attack/71056009007/

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Costly problem. Cybersecurity is the ultimate risk factor: In 2023, the average cost of a data breach worldwide was $4.45 million, marking a 15% increase in the last three years, according to a 2023 IBM report.

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Experts Invited, Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, American Dental Association, cape cod times, cyber hackers, Dana Nessel, Darrell Pruitt, DDS, DMD, Dr Pruitt, e-dental records, eDRs, EMRs, hackers, IBM, marc goldberg, McLaren Health | Leave a comment »

NOT SECURE: e-Dental Records?

Posted on October 5, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

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Less than a week after the American Dental Association pushed dentists to adopt electronic dental records, Infosecurity Magazine announced “Record Numbers of Ransomware Victims Named on Leak Sites.”

So whom does the ADA protect? It’s not dentists and their patients.

READ: https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/ransomware-victims-leak-sites/

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Ethics, Experts Invited, Industry Indignation Index, Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, Americal Dental Association, dentists, InfoSecurity Magazine, Pruitt DDS, ransomware attacks | Leave a comment »

They’re Coming for Your [Electronic] Records, Doc!

Posted on July 31, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

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“Regardless whether you are a physician, dentist or optometrist, they are coming for your patients’ records, Doc.” Family Vision of Anderson Data Breach Leaks Social Security Numbers of Up to 62,631 Patients

On July 26, 2023, Family Vision of Anderson filed a notice of data breach with the Attorney General of Maine after a ransomware attack exposed confidential patient information to unauthorized access. In this notice, Family Vision explains that the incident resulted in an unauthorized party being able to access patients’ sensitive information, which includes their first and last names, dates of birth, Social Security numbers, driver’s license numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses, genders, health insurance information, and protected health information.

Upon completing its investigation, Family Vision began sending out data breach notification letters to all individuals whose information was affected by the recent data security incident.

–JDSupra, July 28, 2023: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/family-vision-of-anderson-data-breach-1534646/

MORE: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2023/07/23/hacked-peachtree-orthopedics-medical-practice/

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So what about cyber-insurance? … Not so fast.

“Twenty-one percent of organizations stated that ransomware is now specifically excluded from their policies, and those with cyber insurance saw changes in their last policy renewals: 74% saw increased premiums, 43% saw increased deductibles, 10% saw coverage benefits reduced.” From “Ransomware is being excluded from cyber insurance policies”

-Security, May 24, 2023: https://www.securitymagazine.com/articles/99390-ransomware-is-being-excluded-from-cyber-insurancepolicies#:~:text=Twenty%2Done%20percent%20of%20organizations,10%25%20saw%20coverage%20benefits%20reduced.

So far, paper dental records still remain unaffected by ransomware, and that does not appear likely to change.

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ASPEN DENTAL: Cyber Attack with Data Breach

Posted on May 18, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

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Aspen Dental has been hit by a cyber attack. Aspen has over a thousand dental offices across the nation, and even though their official website says there are no signs of patient information being compromised, the American Dental Association is calling it a “breach,” since the attack involved ransomware.

If Aspen Practices each maintain dental records on 10,000 patients, and there are over a thousand Aspen locations, that would mean more than 10 million patients’ records were potentially breached. Texas has 58 Aspen locations – second only to Florida which has 124. (There are three Aspen locations near me in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex).

Last of all, history has shown that businesses which suffer one ransomware attack are likely to be targeted a second or even third time. It never ends. And then there are the HIPAA violations and remediation … This is bad for Aspen Dental.

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Information Technology, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, American Dental Associaion, Aspen Dental, Darrell Pruitt, dental data breach, HIPAA, RansomWare | 2 Comments »

The DENTA-VERSE [A Dental Web 3.0 & Virtual Reality Community

Posted on March 30, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Connecting the future of dentistry in 3D

By Staff Reporters

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Dentaverse was born in the heart of Europe between young professionals. A combination of Dental, Finance, 3D and web professionals coming together to connect dental dots. In doing so Dentaverse has grown in to a deep integration of dental know-how and innovative technologies like: Metaverse (VR), blockchain, web3 tech and education.

Accelerating personal and professional growth by connecting dental students, universities, professionals and suppliers in virtual reality.

WEBSITE: https://www.dentaverse.io/

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ORDER: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Health-Information-Technology-Security/dp/0826149952/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254413315&sr=1-5

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CIGNA Healthcare Truth

Posted on March 19, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

QUOTE: “Employees are the biggest asset of any company, so it’s more important than ever to focus on staff well-being during uncertain times.”

Jason Sadler – President, International Health

Cigna Healthcare

QUERIES: So, Jason Sadler, how do you think Cigna’s dentists feel about Cigna?

Do you even dare to publicly respond to that question? … I didn’t think so.

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ORDER: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Health-Insurance-Managed-Care/dp/0826149944/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275315485&sr=1-4

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CIGNA Healthcare Truth

Posted on March 18, 2023 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

QUOTE: “Employees are the biggest asset of any company, so it’s more important than ever to focus on staff well-being during uncertain times.”

Jason Sadler – President, International Health

Cigna Healthcare

QUERIES: So, Jason Sadler, how do you think Cigna’s dentists feel about Cigna?

Do you even dare to publicly respond to that question? … I didn’t think so.

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DIGITAL SECURITY and the American Dental Association [ADA]

Posted on December 22, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

Digital security and the ADA

I wrote the following letter four years ago today. Neither The Digital Dental Record nor its sponsor, The American Dental Association, responded. In fact, a few years later, The Digital Dental Record was predictably hacked and more than 500 dentists, including many ADA members, were victims of a breach of the ADA’s favored digital record system. The ADA is still silent, but they did however, terminate their business relationship with The Digital Dental Record.

Dear The Digital Dental Record,

Thanks for your response on Linkedin to my concerns about the security of EHRs compared to paper. To be honest with you, I’m pleasantly surprised. Contrary to the norm of what I consider an open and free market, very few vendors in the dental IT industry seem willing to openly discuss the dangers or cost of software they hope to sell to dentists – who obviously don’t ask the right questions. That is why I respectfully decline your offer of a private telephone conversation.

You know my name is Darrell Pruitt because it heads my post. I never hide it. Whoever you are, you should probably show potential customers the respect of accountability through transparency. After all, The Digital Dental Record is the only EHR system endorsed by the ADA. I hope that still stands for something of value.

If you have any non-anecdotal evidence on which you base your bold claim that DDS Safe R2 is more secure than paper dental records, please share it. I’ll be transparent: Nobody believes you. Then again, maybe “Luddites” who question the security of digital records are simply wrong. Here’s your chance to show the nation why the ADA chose to endorse The Digital Dental Record above all other electronic dental record systems.

D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

***

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***

Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Information Technology, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, American Dental Association, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, digital security, DIGITAL SECURITY and the American Dental Association, eDRs, HIT, IT, Kellus Pruitt DDS | Leave a comment »

The Benefits of Dentistry Unhurried

Posted on November 30, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

And Medicine, too?

[By Kellus Pruitt DDS]

The hidden truth about managed care dentistry: Unhurried dentistry is generally of higher quality than hurried dentistry; anyone up to challenging this economic law?

Dental Handiwork

Dental care includes intricate handwork performed to exacting tolerances in sensitive mouths of nervous patients. When dentists compete on discounts (fast dentistry) instead of quality (slow dentistry), fear of bankruptcy fuels the race to the bottom with clueless, vulnerable patients.

“‘Slow medicine’ strikes a chord – Nearly 500 people — doctors, nurses and ordinary people with an interest in health care — attended a forum Thursday to hear Dr. Victoria Sweet, a physician and author, talk about how ‘slow medicine’ could improve the quality of life of patients. Sweet is Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco.”

Melinda Morales for the Visalia Times-Delta

[Visalia, California – October 16, 2014]

http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/local/2014/10/17/slow-medicine-strikes-chord/17400861/

Morales writes: “When Sweet told the audience she had once wondered to herself, ‘If I could do one thing to improve the quality of health care, what would it be?’ and then followed it up with her solution, ‘I would put time back into the hands of physicians,’ the audience burst into applause.”

***

Enjoy the Teeth

Dentistry is far more enjoyable for all concerned when it is not rushed in order to squeeze out a profit from unsustainable pay offered by unaccountable, conniving discount dentistry brokers … like CIGNA.

“Cigna to launch rating system that ADA calls scientifically flawed – Cigna will launch in 2015 what it calls a cost-effectiveness designation program that rates in-network dentists based on cost and utilization patterns. These ratings will appear as stars within Cigna’s provider directory. According to Cigna, dentists who receive a three-star rating have a fee schedule that results in greater potential cost savings within their geographical area.”

Kelly Soderlund

[ADA News, October 13, 2014]

Good reporting, ADA News

This isn’t the first time CIGNA has been busted for selling intentionally misinformed, captive patients discount healthcare with no quality control – depriving Americans of the opportunity to choose providers which most patients prefer. Seven years ago, CIGNA and other insurers were reprimanded for employing Ingenix, UnitedHealth Group’s wholly-owned ranking algorithm designed to drive clients from out-of-network providers to cheaper in-network providers:

“Attorney General Cuomo Announces Agreement With Cigna Creating A New National Model For Doctor Ranking Programs – NEW YORK, NY (October 29, 2007) – Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo today announced an agreement with one of the nation’s largest health insurers, CIGNA HealthCare (NYSE: CI), as part of his industry-wide investigation into doctor ranking programs. Under the agreement, CIGNA will enhance its doctor ranking program, fully disclosing to consumers and physicians all aspects of its ranking system. Additionally, CIGNA will retain an oversight monitor known as a Ratings Examiner (‘Rx’) who will oversee compliance with all aspects of the agreement and will report to the Attorney General every six months.”

Eric T. Schneiderman

[Office of Current NY State Attorney General]

http://www.ag.ny.gov/press-release/attorney-general-cuomo-announces-agreement-cigna-creating-new-national-model-doctor

See also, “UnitedHealth Group Shenanigans – Ingenix’s Lack of Independence”

Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

[Medical Executive-Post, January 16, 2009]

https://medicalexecutivepost.com/2009/01/16/unitedhealth-group-shenanigans/

As you can see, history reveals that Cuomo fruitlessly reminded CIGNA that price is only one variable in “cost-effectiveness.” As dentists and their patients know, correcting careless mistakes is always more costly than doing the job right the first time with the best materials for reasonable pay.

***

CIGNA Speaks

Cigna spokeswoman Karen Eldred tells ADA News,

“Cigna remains committed to introducing enhancements to the mycigna.com’s dental network directory that provide customers with cost [but not quality] transparency and insights when using their dental benefits.”

If anyone in the ADA is allowed to consider non-member dentists’ advice, I would recommend publicly confronting CIGNA with an easy to document comparison of the popularity of CIGNA’s one, two and three star, cost-effective dentists with competitors using doctoroogle.com – arguably the most transparent dentist-rating site in the nation.

http://texas.doctoroogle.com/

Anyone who is interested in performing the simple, consumer-friendly study is almost certain to discover a direct correlation between the amount of time dentists can afford to invest in their work and their preference by patients in the community.

More:

Assessment

Have you ever experienced a cost-effective injection of local anesthetic?

Hurried Care?← Florida dentist accused of abuse, fraud in treatment of young patients

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

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ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

Filed under: Health Insurance, Pruitt's Platform, Risk Management | Tagged: ADA, American Dental Association, Cigna, DDS, dentistry, Kellus Pruitt DDS, slow dentistry, slow medicine | 6 Comments »

EDRs: Still think going paperless was the right decision, Doc?

Posted on November 29, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

(ARE YOU PISSED, YET?)

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

***

***

Still think going paperless was the right decision, Doc? (Are you pissed yet?) If you haven’t adopted digital records, now is NOT the time to do so.

“Just last quarter, U.S. cyber insurance prices increased 79% from a year earlier, according to Marsh’s Global Insurance Market Index…. IBM determined the average ransomware attack cost $4.54 million last year, not including the cost of the ransom, and that 83% of the organizations have had more than one data breach.” (There goes your retirement stash). From “Amid Surge in Ransomware Attacks, More Organizations Are Being Rejected for Cyber Insurance — What Can Leaders Do?”

By Raj Dodhiawala for CPO Magazine, November 28, 2022

LINK: https://www.cpomagazine.com/cyber-security/amid-surge-in-ransomware-attacks-more-organizations-are-being-rejected-for-cyber-insurance-what-can-leaders-do/

QUESTION: So, now that the American Dental Association no longer sells its for-profit digital records system to intentionally uninformed dues-paying members, is the not-for-profit organization still encouraging dentists to go paperless?

***

ORDER: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Health-Information-Technology-Security/dp/0826149952/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1254413315&sr=1-5

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PODCAST: Deborah C. Peel MD on Patient Privacy

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

An Audio-Video Presentation

[Submitted via Darrell Pruitt DDS]

***

Conclusion

Book Marcinko: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/dr-david-marcinkos-bookings/

Subscribe: MEDICAL EXECUTIVE POST for curated news, essays, opinions and analysis from the public health, economics, finance, marketing, IT, business and policy management ecosystem.

HOSPITALS:

“Financial Management Strategies for Hospitals” https://tinyurl.com/yagu567d

“Operational Strategies for Clinics and Hospitals” https://tinyurl.com/y9avbrq5

***

Filed under: Experts Invited, Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Deborah Peel MD, HIPAA, Patient Privacy | 1 Comment »

PODCAST: Dental Insurance Doesn’t Exist?

Posted on September 7, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Don’t be Fooled?

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Downey, California dentist John McCallister DDS has produced a splendid video which blows apart myths which keep dental “insurance” companies in business.

The more appropriately called, “discount dentistry brokers” – who casually hide dentists’ concerns – simply cannot survive transparency.

The Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPo4XsYhHPk&feature=youtu.be

Quality?

Let’s face it. Purchasing rushed dental work which Delta Dental discounts more than 30% – or even faster dentistry that is discounted up to 65% by Brighter.com – will always be a foolish investment in one’s health simply because managed care dentistry has NO QUALITY CONTROL.

What’s more, neither Steve Olson, CEO of Delta, nor Brighter.com CEO Jake Winebaum can ever be held accountable for the shoddy work they sell.

Share the Cartoon

The Hippocratic thing to do, Doc, is to share Dr. McCallister’s cartoon with everyone.

As for me, I especially look forward to publicly taunting Delta Dental Insurance Company through @DeltaDentalins on Twitter, as well as CEO Jake Winebaum via @Brighter.com.

Jake blocked me from following @Brighter.com years ago after I asked him about Brighter.com’s quality control measures (There are none. Isn’t that right, Jake?)

Assessment

I pick on Delta Dental and Brighter.com not just because they are unresponsive to dentists’ concerns, but Steve Olsen and Jake Winebaum run the two most harmful examples of sleazy discount dentistry businesses.

Conclusion

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

DICTIONARIES: http://www.springerpub.com/Search/marcinko
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CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
BLOG: www.MedicalExecutivePost.com
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors

Filed under: Insurance Matters, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform, Videos | Tagged: “discount dentistry brokers”, Brighter.com, Darrell Pruitt, delta dental, dental insurance, Jake Winebaum, John McCallister DDS, Steve Olson | 4 Comments »

The DENTAL Witness Stand

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

***

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

***

Today I was on the witness stand in a Dallas County courthouse for 2 hours testifying as an expert witness in an injury case involving a dentist who failed to pay attention to a patient’s safety. The three year old girl was brought into the dental operatory while hugging her mom, face-to-face. The mom and child were in that same position when they were seated in the dental chair – with the child’s legs straddling her mom’s waist, and extending a few inches beyond the back of the chair.

The dentist entered the operatory and reclined the chair by pushing a button on the control module. The hinge mechanism severely pinched the child’s right foot, breaking all 5 metatarsals. She will have problems with her foot the rest of her life.

The lesson, Doc: Never ever recline a dental chair unless all limbs are visibly clear of pinch points.

***
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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Experts Invited, Pruitt's Platform, Risk Management | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt DDS, dental, dental witness stand | Leave a comment »

My Conversation with an Anonymous Cigna Representative

Posted on July 21, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

***

Cigna, do you even have a clue that dentists don’t like you?

***

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

***

Hi Dr. Pruitt,

I’m truly sorry for any negative experience you’ve encountered with us. Is there a claim, benefit, or authorization concern I can help with? Please email me at LetUsHelpU@cigna.com. I’d like an opportunity to assist.

At a time when interest rates are surging, and just when I request an increase, CIGNA REDUCED MY REIMBURSEMENTS! Never again will I do business with you, and will discourage other dentists from falling into your trap …. And that is why dentists don’t like #TeamCigna.

What is your name, anyway. You know mine. Perhaps Linkedin’s transparency makes it a poor choice for marketing Cigna.

As if things could get no worse between Cigna and dentists, you censored my response!

NOTE: Cigna representatives prefer to remain anonymous for reasons of accountability.

***

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BUSINESS MEDICINE: https://www.amazon.com/Business-Medical-Practice-Transformational-Doctors/dp/0826105750/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1448163039&sr=8-9&keywords=david+marcinko

Health Insurance: https://www.amazon.com/Dictionary-Health-Insurance-Managed-Care/dp/0826149944/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1275315485&sr=1-4

***

Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Ethics, Health Insurance, Health Law & Policy, Industry Indignation Index, Managed Care, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Cigna, Darrell Pruitt, Pruitt | Leave a comment »

IMHO @TeamCigna Should Treat their Dentists Better!

Posted on June 30, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

***

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

***

***

“How Is The Market Feeling About Cigna?” Spoiler – According to Benzinga insights, the market is not optimistic about Cigna’s future. Neither am I. But then, I’m only their clients’ dentist.

Link: https://www.benzinga.com/short-sellers/22/06/27888029/how-is-the-market-feeling-about-cigna

Tomorrow is my last day as a Cigna Preferred Provider .. Never Again!

***

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Filed under: Career Development, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Insurance Matters, Managed Care, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Cigna, Darrell Pruitt, DDS, dentists, TeamCigna Should Treat their Dentists Better! | Leave a comment »

Ransomware Simplified?

Posted on June 26, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

***

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

***

***

“We’re now truly in the era of ransomware as pure extortion without the encryption –
Why screw around with cryptography and keys when just stealing the info is good enough”

–Jessica Lyons Hardcastle

{The Register, June 25, 2022]

READ: https://www.theregister.com/2022/06/25/ransomware_gangs_extortion_feature/

***

***

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Experts Invited, Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt, EHRs, EMRs, RansomWare, Ransomware Simplified | Leave a comment »

e-Prescriptions for Dentists?

Posted on June 17, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

***

***

Some say e-prescriptions are a swell idea for dentists!

“Over 70% of organizations suffered two or more ransomware attacks in the past 12 months – According to the data presented by the Atlas VPN team based on a Veeam 2022 Ransomware Trends Report, 73% of organizations suffered two or more ransomware attacks in the past 12 months. The majority — 44% of ransomware infections entered through phishing emails, links, and websites. In total, 35% of organizations experienced two ransomware attacks, nearly a quarter (24%) endured three, close to a fifth (9%) of companies had four, and 4% went through five. Meanwhile, 1% of organizations suffered six or more ransomware attacks in the past 12 months. The remaining 27% of organizations faced only one ransomware attack.” By Acrofan, June 15, 2022.
https://us.acrofan.com/detail.php?number=679260

“Why Ransomware Extortion is a Threat – In a typical ransomware extortion scheme, files are not only encrypted, but are also copied and exfiltrated from the network. Then, when the time comes to demand payment, hackers also say that if the business doesn’t meet their ransom demands within a given timeframe, they will publish the stolen files, or undertake some other activity to harm the business, such as a DDoS attack. This is known as double, or even triple extortion, with threats to release confidential information to the public, disrupt internet access or inform customers, shareholders or other partners about the incident unless they pay the ransom. It puts more pressure on businesses to make a quick decision, boosts the odds of criminals getting a big payout and increases the number of risks firms are exposed to, so this type of ransomware is something every firm should be concerned about.” By Brenda Robb for Security Boulevard on June 15, 2022.
https://securityboulevard.com/2022/06/why-ransomware-extortion-is-a-threat/

It is also worth noting that if a dentist suffers a ransomware attack, HIPAA demands that all affected patients be notified that their identities might have been breached and might show up on the internet. If the breach involves 500 or more records, a description of the incident must be reported in the local media. This could easily bankrupt a practice even before the ransom is paid. What’s more, from the increasing numbers of data breaches that are occurring, one can surmise that dentists are not obeying the law … not yet.

***

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Experts Invited, Glossary Terms, Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt, dental prescriptions, dental RXs, e-Prescriptions, eDRs, electronic prescriptions, EMRs, eRx, eRXs | Leave a comment »

The RETURN of Paper Dental Records?

Posted on June 9, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

***

***

More reasons to stick with paper if you haven’t yet become paperless, Doc

“Paying Ransomware Paints Bigger Bullseye on Target’s Back – Ransomware attackers often strike targets twice, regardless of whether the ransom was paid. Paying ransomware attackers doesn’t pay off and often paints a bigger target on a victim’s back. Eighty percent of ransomware victims that paid their attackers were hit a second time by the malware scourge.” – Threatpost, June 8, 2022.

Paying Ransomware Paints Bigger Bullseye on Target’s Back

A dentist can avoid the second ransomware attack by returning to paper … What? Yeah. I said it.

“New ransomware numbers come from a Cybereason’s April ransomware survey of 1,456 cybersecurity professionals. According to the gated report (registration required), victims that were successfully extorted were not only targeted a second time, but frequently data encrypted by criminals later became unusable during the decryption process because of corruption issues.”

OR – one can retire!

***

***

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Career Development, Experts Invited, Glossary Terms, Health Economics, Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt DDS, dental records, eDRs, electronic dental records, paper dental records, RansomWare | 1 Comment »

SDOH = Social Determinants of Oral Health

Posted on May 23, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Staff Reporters

***

***

Social determinants of oral health and tooth loss

A study led by investigators at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine suggested that “machine-learning algorithm models incorporating socioeconomic characteristics were better at predicting tooth loss than those relying on routine clinical dental indicators alone.”

CITE: https://www.r2library.com/Resource/Title/082610254

Furthermore, new research reported that

adults living in urban areas visited the dentist more than those in rural areas

women were more likely than men to visit the dentist in both rural and urban areas

the number of adult dental visits increased as family income increased

non-Hispanic white adults were more likely than Hispanic and non-Hispanic black adults to have a dental visit in urban areas.

Therefore, it is important to consider how disparities in access to and use of dental care impact not only tooth loss but also oral and overall health.

***

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***

****

Filed under: Ethics, Glossary Terms, Health Insurance, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: DDS, dental care, dental health, dentists, DMD, Harvard School of Dental Medicine, oral health, SDOH, teeth | Leave a comment »

DENTISTS: Don’t Write Many Prescriptions / Ransomware and Cyber News

Posted on January 8, 2022 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

A Personal Op-Ed Perspective

***

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

***

Dentists simply don’t write that many prescriptions.

Henry Schein employees are not defending Stanley Bergman’s venture into e-prescription software. That is because they know it stinks. Digital prescriptions not only endanger patients and dental practices, but they offer no tangible benefits over paper. None!

Digital only increases the profits for Stanley Bergman and pharmaceutical interests – who eliminate data entry personnel from their payroll.

“First do no harm”

Ancient Greek physician Hippocrates.

EDITOR’S NOTE: We welcome back the op-eds of colleague Dr. Pruitt and trust he remains well in 2022.

***

Ransomware and Dentistry – Recent News

“Why Healthcare Will Remain a Top Cyberattack Target in 2022 – one of the main reasons criminals are interested in healthcare data is that it contains a lot of details, such as date of birth, Social Security numbers – the active ingredients for identity theft. You can get those data points from any number of places, but healthcare organizations are the richest sources.” Healthcare Info Security, December 28, 2021.https://www.govinfosecurity.com/interviews/healthcare-will-remain-top-cyberattack-target-in-2022-i-4999

“Ransomware in 2022: You May Be Screwed, but Without Insurance It Could Always Be Worse – A commentator recently summed up the risk of ransomware attack in 2022: ‘we’re all screwed.’ True enough. But that’s all the more reason to prepare right now. After all, the only thing worse than a ransomware attack is not having adequate insurance coverage when it occurs. The time to prepare is now.” National Law Review, Wednesday, January 5, 2022.
https://www.natlawreview.com/article/ransomware-2022-you-may-be-screwed-without-insurance-it-could-always-be-worse

“Insurers run from ransomware cover as losses mount” Summary:
– Lloyd’s of London discourages cyber expansion-sources
– Ransomware as profitable as Colombian cocaine cartels
– Some insurers asking policyholders to pay half of ransoms
– Attackers change strategy from scattergun to focused.Reuters, November 19, 2021.
https://www.reuters.com/markets/europe/insurers-run-ransomware-cover-losses-mount-2021-11-19/

Yep. We’re all screwed. Well, not all of us.

Paper remains the best deterrent to ransomware.

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Filed under: Drugs and Pharma, Experts Invited, Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: cyber news, Darrell Pruitt DDS, dentistry, dentists, e-prescription software, eDR, eDRs, Henry Schein, op-ed, RansomWare, Stanley Bergman | Leave a comment »

OPEN LETTER on Dental Practice Management Ransomware

Posted on November 17, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

Dear Kiltesh Patel

CEO of tab32 dental practice management software

***
A recent report says “60% of organizations hit by ransomware-as-a-service attacks in the past 18 months.”

LINK:https://venturebeat.com/2021/11/15/report-60-of-orgs-hit-by-ransomware-as-a-service-attacks-in-the-past-18-months/

***

QUERY: Doesn’t that mean that 60% of tab32 customers have been hit by ransomware as well?

QUERY: Have you yet come to the conclusion that ignoring dentists’ and patients’ concerns about security is a bad business decision?

Give it time!

COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS ARE APPRECIATED.

***

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Filed under: "Doctors Only", Experts Invited, Information Technology, Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt DDS, dental practice management software:, dental ransomware, eDRs, Kiltesh Patel, tab32 | 1 Comment »

DENTISTRY and Data Breaches

Posted on November 4, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

NO LONGER EVEN NOTICED?

Connect with Dr. Darrell Pruitt Dentist DDS Fort Worth, TX

BY DARRELL PRUITT DDS

Data breaches are now so common that hardly anyone in healthcare notices them – especially in dentistry. I imagine that more than half of the data breaches from dental offices are never reported, and their patients never warned that their identities might be available on the internet.

Whether you ignore this problem or not, this will not end well, folks.

CITE: “Healthcare Cyberattacks Target 2 TX Hospitals, Expose PHI – Lavaca Medical Center and Throckmorton County Memorial Hospital both suffered cyberattacks that led to PHI exposure.” By Jill McKeon for HealthcareIT News, November 3, 2021.https://healthitsecurity.com/news/healthcare-cyberattacks-target-2-tx-hospitals-expose-phi

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Filed under: Career Development, Experts Invited, Information Technology, Insurance Matters, Investing, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt DDS, dental data breaches, dental office data breaches, eDRs, electronic dental records, PHI, protected health information | Leave a comment »

Can electronic dental records survive the ransomware cure?

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

***

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

Compared to hospitals, the business of dentistry is as simple as a lemonade stand. Dental practice management software is an option – not a necessity.

Thank goodness.

***

***

“Cyber Daily: Congress Inches Toward Response to Ransomware Attacks – U.S. legislators in the House and Senate have several bills in play that would put new requirements on companies [including dental offices] to report cyber incidents, including details about ransomware payments.”

WSJ.com, Oct. 11, 2021.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/cyber-daily-congress-inches-toward-response-to-ransomware-attacks-11633974966

As transparency makes it increasingly difficult for dentists to hide ransomware breaches from their patients by quietly paying the ransom (one or more times), paper dental records remain the gold standard of security. Practice management software is not only more expensive than paper records, but it vastly increases patients’ risk of identity theft while offering them NO TANGIBLE BENEFITS… Just ask anyone.

***

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***

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Cyber Insurance for Dentists?

Posted on September 8, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Are we de-facto targets?

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Have you purchased cyber insurance yet, Doc?

If you are a HIPAA covered entity, you’re going to need it.

Press release: “AIG among insurers seeking more sales as small firms get hacked” (no byline).

“Smaller companies [including dental offices] are learning that, as more data is shared online, they, too, can be targets for the kinds of attacks that larger firms endure. American International Group Inc. and Travelers Cos. are among insurers tailoring cybersecurity products to those customers.”

http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20130322/BUSINESS09/303220034/AIG-among-insurers-seeking-more-sales-small-firms-get-hacked

The Expert Speaks

Bob Parisi, network security and privacy practice leader at the insurance brokerage of Marsh & McLennan tells DelawareOnline that small and mid-size companies are “where we’re going to see some of the most aggressive growth in the next couple of years, because it’s been a part of the market that was ignored.”

The ad describes how a California-based online print shop was targeted by hackers who exposed clients’ names, addresses and credit-card numbers last year. Much like dentists whose EDRs are hacked, after discovering the breach, business owner David Handmaker had to notify affected customers. The Ponemon Institute predicts that 20% or more of the customers notified will instantly become former customers.

“We’re just much, much more aware of the fact that being a small company” makes us more of a target,” Handmaker tells DelawareOnline. He adds that larger businesses have “more resources, and so I think their security practices are maybe a little more evolved.”

Assessment

Small businesses such as print shops and dental practices have become de-facto targets – and according to security experts, easy pickings. I’m not wrong. I’m early.

More

Conclusion

Link: http://feeds.feedburner.com/HealthcareFinancialsthePostForcxos

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

***

MEDICAL RISK MANAGEMENT: https://www.routledge.com/Risk-Management-Liability-Insurance-and-Asset-Protection-Strategies-for/Marcinko-Hetico/p/book/9781498725989

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Insurance Matters, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: AIG, American International Group, Bob Parisi, Cyber Insurance for Dentists, Darrell Pruitt, HIPAA, Marsh & McLennan, Travelers Cos | 8 Comments »

On Private Equity-Owned Dental Practices

Posted on September 7, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

The boom and bust of private equity-owned dental practices in the U.K …. Lessons to be learned?

By Darrell Kellus Pruitt DDS

“Why the dental business became more and more like pulling teeth,” by Harry Wilson, City Editor of The Times (U.K.)

Describes problems caused by agreements made between investor-owned dental groups and the government. Neither the investors nor government officials – the stakeholders – will suffer the inevitable permanent harm. The losers are dentists and patients – the principals.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/why-the-dental-business-became-more-and-more-like-pulling-teeth-vdrs0nwrr

Wilson:

If you are an NHS dental patient, there is a better than one in ten chance that you are a customer of Integrated Dental Holdings, better known as Mydentist.

The private equity-owned dental practice owner has grown nationwide in a dozen years of debt-fuelled buying that has made it the biggest dental services company not merely in Britain but Europe. In the past seven years alone, Mydentist has acquired 237 dental practices, increasing its network to more than 600.

Yet having grown so rapidly in the recent past, questions now are being asked about its future. Results last month showed why, as revenues fell for the third straight year, while pre-tax losses nearly doubled to £144 million. With more than £1 billion of debt, including hundreds of millions in shareholder loans to The Carlyle Group and Palamon Capital Partners, its private equity owners, Mydentist said that it would not be buying any more dentist surgeries for the time being. (more).

———————

Bringing it home:

Rumors of “Medicare for all” are in the air, making your support of Texas Dentists for Medicaid Reform very worthwhile, Doc.

https://www.tdmr.org/about-tdmr/

Conclusion

Book Marcinko: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/dr-david-marcinkos-bookings/

Subscribe: MEDICAL EXECUTIVE POST for curated news, essays, opinions and analysis from the public health, economics, finance, marketing, IT, business and policy management ecosystem.

DOCTORS:

“Insurance & Risk Management Strategies for Doctors” https://tinyurl.com/ydx9kd93

“Fiduciary Financial Planning for Physicians” https://tinyurl.com/y7f5pnox

“Business of Medical Practice 2.0” https://tinyurl.com/yb3x6wr8

HOSPITALS:

“Financial Management Strategies for Hospitals” https://tinyurl.com/yagu567d

“Operational Strategies for Clinics and Hospitals” https://tinyurl.com/y9avbrq5

***

Filed under: Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, Private Equity-Owned Dental Practices | 1 Comment »

Do We Really Need Electronic Dental Records [EDRs]?

Posted on August 15, 2021 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

BY DARRELL K. PRUITT DDS

Do you really need digital records, Doc?

Why?

The Important Role of Dental Records - Fiorillo Dental

“Ransomware criminals’ demands rise as aggressive tactics pay off – Average ransomware demands and payments are up as criminal enterprises pour money into the profitable operations.”

By Brooke Crothers for FOXBusiness, August 14, 2021.
https://www.foxbusiness.com/technology/ransomware-criminals-demands-rise-aggressive-tactics-pay-off

Crothers: “The ransomware crisis just keeps getting worse as criminal enterprises pour money into highly profitable ransomware operations, according to a report from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 security consulting group. The average ransomware payment climbed 82% to a record $570,000 in the first half of 2021 from $312,000 in 2020.”

I am asking Dr. Roger P. Levin, DDS, founder and CEO of Levin Group, why he and his international consultant group still promote electronic dental records.

How about it, Dr. Levin? Can you describe how practice management software benefits dental patients? The software doesn’t make dentistry safer or less expensive than paper records – even if digital is more convenient for dentists and staff (most of the time).

YOUR THOUGHTS ARE APPRECIATED

Thank You

***

Filed under: Career Development, Experts Invited, iMBA, Inc., Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell Pruitt DDS, dental records, eDRs, electronic dental records | 1 Comment »

ANOSMIA, HYPERSOMIA, AGEUSIA, HYPOGEUSIA, DYSGEUSIA and the CORONA VIRUS?

Posted on July 26, 2020 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

WHAT IS “ANOSMIA”

By Darrell Pruitt DDS and David E. Marcinko MBBS, MBA

Anosmia, also known as smell blindness, is the loss of the ability to detect one or more smells. Anosmia may be temporary or permanent. It differs from Hyposmia which is a decreased sensitivity to some or all smells.

According to Wikipedia, Anosmia can be due to a number of factors, including an inflammation of the nasal mucosa, blockage of nasal passages or a destruction of one temporal lobe. Inflammation is due to chronic mucosa changes in the lining of the paranasal sinus and in the middle and superior turbinates. When anosmia is caused by inflammatory changes in the nasal passageways, it is treated simply by reducing inflammation. It can be caused by chronic meningitis and neurosyphilis that would increase intracranial pressure over a long period of time, and in some cases by ciliopathy, including ciliopathy due to primary ciliary dyskinesia. The term derives from the New Latin anosmia, based on Ancient Greek ἀν- (an-) + ὀσμή (osmḗ, “smell”; another related term, hyperosmia, refers to an increased ability to smell). Some people may be anosmic for one particular odor, a condition known as “specific anosmia”. The absence of the sense of smell from birth is known as congenital anosmia.

Ageusia is the loss of taste functions of the tongue, particularly the inability to detect sweetness, sourness, bitterness, saltiness, and umami. It is sometimes confused with anosmia – a loss of the sense of smell. Because the tongue can only indicate texture and differentiate between sweet, sour, bitter, salty, and umami, most of what is perceived as the sense of taste is actually derived from smell. True Ageusia is relatively rare compared to Hypogeusia – a partial loss of taste – and Dysgeusia – a distortion or alteration of taste.

ASSESSMENT:

If you should suddenly lose your sense of smell (anosmia), you might want to get tested for COVID-19 – even without the presence of other symptoms.

“A majority of COVID-19 patients experience some level of anosmia, most often temporary. Analyses of electronic health records indicate that COVID-19 patients are 27 times more likely to have smell loss but are only around 2.2 to 2.6 times more likely to have fever, cough or respiratory difficulty, compared to patients without COVID-19.”

See: “How COVID-19 Causes Loss of Smell – Olfactory support cells, not neurons, are vulnerable to novel coronavirus infection.” By Kevin Jiang for Harvard Medical School, July 24, 2020.

https://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-covid-19-causes-loss-smell

Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

BUSINESS, FINANCE, INVESTING AND INSURANCE TEXTS FOR DOCTORS:

1 – https://lnkd.in/ebWtzGg

2 – https://lnkd.in/ezkQMfR

3 – https://lnkd.in/ewJPTJs

THANK YOU

***

Filed under: Glossary Terms, Health Insurance, iMBA, Inc., Pruitt's Platform, Touring with Marcinko | Tagged: AGEUSIA, ANOSMIA, corona, Corvid-19, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, David Edward Marcinko, DYSGEUSIA, HYPERSOMIA, HYPOGEUSIA, pandemic | Leave a comment »

Keeping the CORONA VIRUS Out of Dental Offices?

Posted on April 21, 2020 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Opinion-Editorial

[By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS]

The ONLY way to protect dentists, staff, patients and their families from the risk of fatal COVID-19 infections is to keep the virus out of dental offices. (See graph from the New York Times).

***

Prediction: If quick and reliable testing is not available soon, within weeks after dental offices re-open for routine dental care – creating aerosols with high speed hand pieces, air/water syringes and ultrasonic scalers – dental offices will justifiably become known as reliable sources of COVID-19 infections, before being closed down again by the state.

Assessment: Your thoughts are appreciated.

***

Product Details

Filed under: Experts Invited, LifeStyle, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: corona, Darrell K. Pruitt, DDS, dentists | 3 Comments »

Few of Us Remove Gloves Properly

Posted on April 2, 2020 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

MORE Corona Virus Precautions

By Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA

Courtesy: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org

If you wear gloves because of Covid-19, and if you don’t take them off properly, you just get everything that was all over the gloves, all over yourself and everything else. As a surgeon for almost two decades, I can tell you that taking gloves off correctly isn’t a trivial thing.

***

HOW TO REMOVE: Briefly, you want to pinch one glove near the wrist and pull it over your hand so it ends up inside out. Then hold that in your gloved hand and carefully slip the fingers of your bare hand into the top of the other glove, let it turn inside out and cover the balled-up other glove.

***

CDC: Check out this step-by-step CDC infographic. And, if you’re not disposing of them properly, you’re just potentially contaminating more surfaces and putting yourself at a much higher risk. Finally, don’t skip hand washing after you take them off, even if you’ve removed them right.

PODCAST: https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=how+to+removesurgicalgloves&&view=detail&mid=2607568A504FC540B18D2607568A504FC540B18D&&FORM=VRDGAR&ru=%2Fvideos%2Fsearch%3Fq%3Dhow%2Bto%2Bremovesurgicalgloves%26FORM%3DHDRSC3

Assessment: Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.

***

BUSINESS, FINANCE AND INSURANCE TEXTS FOR DOCTORS

1 – https://lnkd.in/ebWtzGg

2 – https://lnkd.in/ezkQMfR

3 – https://lnkd.in/ewJPTJs

THANK YOU

***

Filed under: Health Economics, Health Insurance, Health Law & Policy, LifeStyle, Pruitt's Platform, Touring with Marcinko | Tagged: gloves | 1 Comment »

Asking questions others won’t

Posted on April 19, 2019 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

About Digital X-ray Manipulation!

[By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS]

Today, I shared a video which revealed how images produced by Computerized Axial Tomography [CAT] scanners can be imperceptibly manipulated for nefarious purposes.

Kinda like so-called “Photo-Shopping”

Injecting and Removing Cancer from CT Scans

While this scary article is on my mind, I will ask a taboo question which will make me even less popular with most dentists: Can images of digital dental radiographs be manipulated to fool insurers into paying for unnecessary treatment?

If so, is there a technical solution capable of protecting the public from unnecessary dentistry based on doctored images? As harsh as it sounds, if it is possible to photoshop digital radiographs, it would be foolish to assume it is not being done.

***

ImageProxy

Injecting and Removing Cancer from CT Scans

Assessment

There. I said it. Your thoughts are appreciated.

***

Filed under: Ethics, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: CAT scan manipulation, Injecting and Removing Cancer from CT Scans, photoshop digital radiographs | 1 Comment »

The Doctor Will “SEE” You Now!

Posted on February 1, 2019 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

OR … Not!

[By staff reporters]

A Medical Office Exam – FROM THIS EMR VISIT!

Your privacy is not protected.

We use Electronic Health Records.

paper

[Courtesy Dr. DK Pruitt]

A Medical Office Exam – TO THIS PMR VISIT!

***

Assessment

Beware – No medical specialty is immune! Which office visit style do you prefer? Are we “Back to the Future?”

Conclusion

Book Marcinko: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/dr-david-marcinkos-bookings/

Subscribe: MEDICAL EXECUTIVE POST for curated news, essays, opinions and analysis from the public health, economics, finance, marketing, IT, business and policy management ecosystem.

DOCTORS:

“Insurance & Risk Management Strategies for Doctors” https://tinyurl.com/ydx9kd93

“Fiduciary Financial Planning for Physicians” https://tinyurl.com/y7f5pnox

“Business of Medical Practice 2.0” https://tinyurl.com/yb3x6wr8

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: EHRs, EMRs, medical records, PROM, SOAP Notes | Leave a comment »

EHRs = Opine “YES” or “NO”

Posted on October 11, 2018 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

EHRs = Opine “YES” or “NO”

A Binary Verbal Opinion Poll

What grade would you give the state of EHR in 2018 on a national basis with physicians and hospitals, and are there aspects that have fallen well short of your past expectations of where we would be today?”

***

TELL US WHAT YOU THINK?

Filed under: Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform, Voting Polls | Tagged: EHRs | 7 Comments »

Happy World Oral Health Day

Posted on March 20, 2018 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Happy World Oral Health Day

[By Staff Reporters]

Today is March 20th – World Oral Health Day (WOHD), a day in which dentists and organizations worldwide are promoting oral health.

***

According to the FDI WOHD website, 90% of the world’s population will suffer from oral diseases in their lifetime, and many of them can be avoided with increased governmental, health association and society support and funding for prevention, detection and treatment programs.

Product Details

Filed under: Breaking News, Career Development, iMBA, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: DDS, dental care, World Oral Health Day | Leave a comment »

Dental EHRs are a Scam?

Posted on February 12, 2018 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Electronic dental records are a scam. They have always been a scam.

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

“Microsoft & Google unable to detect new zero-day ransomware.” By Anthony Spadafora for ITProPortal, February 7, 2018
https://www.itproportal.com/news/microsoft-google-unable-to-detect-new-zero-day-ransomware/

Spadafora: “The ShurL0ckr ransomware was able to avoid detection by a majority of anti-virus engines and cloud applications. As organisations have adopted cloud services to increase their productivity and agility, so to have hackers who see cloud services as the next big target for distributing malware and stealing sensitive data from businesses and individuals.”

Over a decade ago, I warned the American Dental Association leadership about EHRs’ poor security. So did ADA leadership warn Congress? Oh hell no.

“Patient records will be adequately protected through organizational policies and technical security controls.” – Dr. Robert H. Ahlstrom, representing the ADA in testimony before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) on the benefits of EHRs in dentistry.

(See: “Testimony of the American Dental Association, National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Subcommittee on Standards and Security July 31, 2007.”) http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/070731p08.pdf

Assessment

Conflict of interest caused unaccountable leaders to lie to us, Doc. How does that make you feel?

Conclusion:

Your thoughts and comments on this ME-P are appreciated. Feel free to review our top-left column, and top-right sidebar materials, links, urls and related websites, too. Then, subscribe to the ME-P. It is fast, free and secure.

Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

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Filed under: Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: American Dental Associaion, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, dental electronic records | 3 Comments »

The “CLOUD” Could Get Expensive for Health Care

Posted on December 15, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

AND … DOCTORS

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

Without net-neutrality, cloud-based practice management (which is already more expensive than office-based) could cost even more.

The Impactful Industries

“4 industries that could be impacted by net neutrality – With a historic net neutrality vote set to take place tomorrow, people across the United States are rightly concerned about the future of the internet. Visions of price-tiered online spaces dancing in their heads, constituents all over the country are reaching out to their elected officials in a likely doomed effort to forestall what many see as the inevitable destruction of our mostly level digital playing field.” Healthcare is one of the four.

– Jack Morse for Mashable
[December 13, 2017]
http://mashable.com/2017/12/13/net-neutrality-impacts/#rypwq_M6Gmqi

Morse Speaks:

In addition to just being a pain in the ass, the repeal of net neutrality could do real harm to your health. That’s because the modern medical field has come to depend on that aforementioned free and open internet — something very much at odds with Federal Communications Commission chairman Ajit Pai’s plans.

These days, electronic health records are often kept in the cloud, and fast and reliable access to this data is vital to patient care. What’s more, telemedicine — remotely providing healthcare via some form of telecommunication — is super data heavy. Whether that’s remotely analyzing X-rays, or a rural patient connecting with a doctor in a far-off city, this stuff takes a lot of bandwidth.

***

Assessment

Will your small-town hospital be able to compete with the Facebooks of the world when it comes to buying a piece of bandwidth pie? Unfortunately, we may soon have to find out.

Conclusion

Book Marcinko: https://medicalexecutivepost.com/dr-david-marcinkos-bookings

Subscribe: MEDICAL EXECUTIVE POST for curated news, essays, opinions and analysis from the public health, economics, finance, marketing, IT, business and policy management ecosystem.

***

Filed under: iMBA, Inc., Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: CLOUD COULD GET EXPENSIVE FOR HEALTHCARE, Jack Morse, net-neutrality | 3 Comments »

Did ADA Leaders Mislead Congress about EDR Security?

Posted on October 30, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Electronic Dental Records [EDR] Security?

By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS

“Terrifying Truth: Ransomware is Everywhere – At its basest level, ransomware is a form of kidnapping. Hackers effectively ‘kidnap’ a business’s data and information systems and threaten to destroy it unless the business pays a ransom for its safe return.”

Todd Lewis for Nibletz [October 24, 2017]
http://www.nibletz.com/security/ransomware

Lewis: “Healthcare and hospital networks are prime targets for these attacks. A patient whose medical service provider is unable to access critical patient information can be in a life-or-death situation unless the healthcare network is rapidly recovered and brought back on line. Cyberattackers take advantage of this urgency and realize that hospitals have greater incentives to pay a ransom to recover their systems and operations. Moreover, hospital networks operate on a 24-hour basis and are rarely taken down for maintenance and updating that might include patches for security holes. Ransomware attacks frequently take advantage of holes in networks that have not been patched with regular updates, and hospitals and medical centers are more likely than businesses in other industries to have failed to close those holes.”

ADA: “Dentists will have a more complete data set of the patient they are treating, enabling better care.”

Dr. Robert H. Ahlstrom, representing the American Dental Association and by default, all US dentists, in testimony before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) on the benefits of EHRs in dentistry. His testimony is featured in an official document titled “Testimony of the American Dental Association, National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Subcommittee on Standards and Security July 31, 2007.”

Click to access 070731p08.pdf

Insightful or clueless dentist?

Conclusion

Speaker: If you need a moderator or speaker for an upcoming event, Dr. David E. Marcinko; MBA – Publisher-in-Chief of the Medical Executive-Post – is available for seminar or speaking engagements.

Contact: MarcinkoAdvisors@msn.com

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: American Dental Association, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, Did ADA leaders mislead Congress about security?, Dr. Robert H. Ahlstrom, eDRs, National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics, Todd Lewis | 2 Comments »

Dental EHRs are Coming to an End?

Posted on September 12, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Dental EHRs are Coming to an End

By Darrell Pruitt DDS

The reckless third-party push for adoption of increasingly dangerous dental EHR systems is the most harmful scam in the history of dentistry.

But it’s almost over, Doc. Equifax was hacked.

“If a company like Equifax can make significant investments, have every incentive to keep the most sensitive kind of information secure, but still experience a breach … it stands to reason that our playbook needs a revision,”

Josh Mayfield: [Platform Specialist at Firemon Immediate Insight]. (See: “Equifax, U.S. consumers alike will struggle to overcome massive hack” By Tim Johnson for Mcclatchy, September 8, 2017).

Http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article172078982.html

Why should anyone assume electronic dental records are any more secure than Equifax records?

Not only do digital health records subject Americans to increasing risk of medical identity theft – which can be lethal – but they are increasingly more expensive than paper dental records.

What’s more, electronic dental records offer dental patients NO TANGIBLE BENEFITS: When is the last time you witnessed a practice advertise the benefits of digital records? On the other hand, you may have also noticed the appearance of paper files in the backgrounds of promotional photos.

A decade ago, I tried to persuade American Dental Association leadership to consider de-identification of dentists’ primary dental records. After all, if identities are unavailable, they simply cannot be stolen. ADA leadership summarily discarded the idea in favor of full disk encryption – which dentists summarily rejected in favor of luck …. And so here we are, Doc. “First, do no harm.”

***

Dental EHR vendors simply will not survive transparency without fundamental changes in how patients’ welfare is guarded – which will further increase their cost and liability.

The future is obvious, yet I am the only dentist in the nation openly warning of the inevitable collapse of the electronic dental record industry. Unlike physicians, who treat four to five times as many patients a day and depend on quick interoperability with other physicians, dentists can safely return to paper. They won’t like the inconvenience of carbon paper, but following the Equifax breach of almost half of the nation’s consumers – virtually every one of them mad as hell – dentists will have no choice. Ehrs have become too costly.

Assessment

This week, a dentist on Facebook who tried but failed to defend the censorship habits of a popular dental consultant said I was on a “one-man crusade.” I don’t think he meant it in the good way. I ask you to remember that remark for future reference.

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell K. Pruitt DDS, Dental EHRs are Coming to an End?, eDRs, EHRs | 3 Comments »

Health Information Technology [EMR] Update

Posted on August 4, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

2014 to 2017

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

Three years ago

“When Patients Fear EHR – When patients believe paper medical records are safer and more private than electronic ones, their health can suffer. Many members of the public mistakenly believe electronic health records (ehrs) are less secure than paper files. Magnified by misinformation and political distortion of facts, an unnecessary fear has taken root in the minds of many consumers — often with serious consequences.”

-Mansur Hasib

Cybersecurity Professional – Author and Speaker in commentary for informationweek, July 28, 2014

Http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/electronic-health-records/when-patients-fear-ehr/a/d-id/1297519

This week

“Doctors claim medical records system puts patient safety at risk – PROBLEMS with Queensland Health’s electronic medical record system are angering health workers, with fed-up senior doctors circulating a document slamming the technology and those in charge of it.”

-Kara Vickery and Janelle Miles – The Courier-Mail, July 25, 2017.

Http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/doctors-claim-medical-records-system-puts-patient-safety-at-risk/news-story/dc18cb388552eb4d179629c298a28408

“300,000 records breached in ransomware attack on Pennsylvania health system – The breach on Women’s Health Care Group of Pennsylvania was discovered in May, but hackers had unauthorized access to the system as early as January.”

-Jessica Davis – Health Care IT News, July 26, 2017

Http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/300000-records-breached-ransomware-attack-pennsylvania-health-system

“HIPAA Data Breaches, Cyber Attacks Reported by 47% of Orgs – KPMG found that there was a 10 percentage point increase in reported HIPAA data breaches or cyber attacks from 2015 to 2017.”

-Elizabeth Snell – Health IT Security, July 27, 2017

Https://healthitsecurity.com/news/hipaa-data-breaches-cyber-attacks-reported-by-47-of-orgs

“Doctors frustrated that electronic records steal time from patients – Dr. Rebekah Gardner has to make a choice each time she sees a patient in her Rhode Island office: she can scroll computer screens and click boxes, or she can focus on the patient and take home the computer work.”

-Ronnie Cohen – Reuters, July 28, 2017

Http://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-records-electronics-iduskbn1ad2gt

“Plastic Surgery Associates data breach: Patients’ records, payment card details possibly compromised – The company said it discovered that some of its systems were infected with ransomware in February.”

-Hyacinth Mascarenhas – International Business Times, July 29, 2017

Http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/plastic-surgery-associates-data-breach-patients-records-payment-card-details-possibly-compromised-1632555

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Darrell K. Pruitt DDS, EHRs, health information technology, HIT | 1 Comment »

EHRs, ADA Leaders and Conflict of Interest

Posted on July 2, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

A decade later ….?

By D. Kellus Pruitt DDS

In July 2007, Dr. Robert H. Ahlstrom, representing the American Dental Association and by default, all US dentists, testified before the National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics (NCVHS) on the benefits of EHRs in dentistry.

His testimony is featured in an official document titled:

“Testimony of the American Dental Association, National Committee on Vital and Health Statistics Subcommittee on Standards and Security July 31, 2007”

http://www.ncvhs.hhs.gov/070731p08.pdf

Here are the ADA’s 11 selling points which Dr. Ahlstrom presented to HHS in support of electronic dental records:

Dental office computer systems will be compatible with those of the hospitals and plans they conduct business with. Referral inquiries will be handled easily.
Vendors will be able to supply low-cost software solutions to physicians/dentists who support standards-based electronic data interchange. Costs associated with mailing, faxing and telephoning will decrease.
All administrative tasks can be accomplished electronically. Dentists will have more time to devote to direct care.
Dentists will have a more complete data set of the patient they are treating, enabling better care.
Patients seeking information on enrollment status or health care benefits will be given more accurate, complete and easier-to-understand information.
Consumer documents will be more uniform and easier to read.
Cost savings to providers and plans will translate in less costly health care for consumers. Premiums and charges will be lowered.
Patients will save postage and telephone costs incurred in claims follow-up.
Patients will have the ability to see what is contained in their medical and dental records and who has accessed them. Patient records will be adequately protected through organizational policies and technical security controls.
Visits to dentists and other health care providers will be shorter without the burden of filling out forms.
Consumer correspondence with insurers about problems with claims will be reduced.

Not one of Ahlstrom’s 11 promises has been fulfilled. None …. Total failure!

A decade later, it has become clear that the nation was misled by ambitious leaders of the American Dental Association who have since enjoyed power and/or profit from members’ misinformed adoption of digital records.

***

In my opinion, the grandest deception in the history of dentistry is clearly a result of a secretive not-for-profit corporation’s conflict of interest. This very important business lesson would have been lost to history if I hadn’t been documenting the true progress of EHRs in dentistry.

I (alone?) recognized very early that paperless was doomed simply because the needs of dentists and their patients was secondary to implementation of third-parties’ half-baked, selfish ideas. And I got spanked for that by the same ADA leadership behind Ahlstrom’s tainted testimony to Congress.

My ADA membership was suspended, and I still have not been told why. All the President of the Texas Dental Association would tell me is, “You know what you did.”

Assessment

To this day, dental EHRs are both increasingly less secure than paper dental records as well as increasingly more expensive. What’s more, they offer no tangible benefits for the patients. ADA leadership failed my profession.

Transparency is accountability.

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, ADA Leaders and Conflict of Interest, American Dental Association, Darrell Pruitt DDS, Dr. Robert H. Ahlstrom, EHRs, HHS | 5 Comments »

HITECH: A politically-correct Scam?

Posted on June 19, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Update on HITECH

By Kellus Pruitt DDS

“How bad science can lead to bad science journalism — and bad policy – This is what happens when news organizations don’t catch lousy studies.”

By Stephen Soumerai and Ross Koppel for The Washington Post, June 7, 2017/

Https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/06/07/how-bad-science-can-lead-to-bad-science-journalism-and-bad-policy/?Utm_term=.631e0a2d022c#comments

Soumerai and Koppel: “As researchers who focus on health care, we see news coverage of badly designed studies constantly. And we’re concerned that breathless reporting on bad science can result in costly, ineffective and even harmful national policies.”

You mean like HITECH?

Since the HITECH Act was passed in 2009, it has been well-documented that not only were the premises of the law fiction, but the law itself has always favored healthcare stakeholders like Cerner at the expense of patients and their doctors – the healthcare principals.

The grandest blunder in medical history gained traction in 1999 with an Institute of Medicine (IOM) report titled, “To Err is Human,” which promises that EHRs should have already saved 100,000 lives a year … Not even close. Not unlike the dangerous research bias described in Soumerai and Koppel’s article that was posted recently, several researchers have also pointed out that the studies cited in the IOM report did not show that people were dying from medical errors that health information technology could detect or correct.

The questionable IOM report was followed in 2005 by a tainted RAND Corporation report which promised savings of $77 billion annually… Wrong again!

***

untitled

***

Shortly after the report was published, rumors quickly spread that the data for the study were cherry-picked by those with software to sell. By 2011, the passage of time revealed that RAND had clearly made a vendor-friendly mistake, forcing RAND to disown their study – but not before its optimistic conclusion was instrumental in the successful passage of the HITECH Act in 2009 (two years after Minnesota lawmakers had already passed the doomed EHR mandate based on the same tainted RAND results).

Political Fiat

Then presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was only one of many lawmakers to quote the RAND study. Almost everyone the nation was suckered in. Ultimately, it was revealed that the study’s vendor-friendly conclusion was largely financed by software giant Cerner, who continues to profit from years of misinformation.

(See: “In 2nd Look, Few Savings From Digital Records,” by Reed Abelson and Julie Creswell, New York Times, Jan. 10, 2013).

Http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/11/business/electronic-records-systems-have-not-reduced-health-costs-report-says.html

In fact, it was announced last Monday that Cerner, which is responsible for the most dishonest research in the history of health information technology, has been awarded the Department of Veterans Affairs contract for the VA’s next-generation electronic health records system.

Assessment

Dishonesty wins.

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Op-Editorials, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: Cerner, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, Department of Veterans Affairs, EHRs, Ross Koppel, Stephen Soumerai, VA, VistA | Leave a comment »

Why patients will soon prefer paper dental records?

Posted on June 12, 2017 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

Read for yourself why dental patients will soon prefer paper-based over paperless

[By Kellus Pruitt DDS]

Recently, Marianne Kolbasuk McGee (HealthInfoSec) posted, “Analysis: Are HHS Cybersecurity Recommendations Achievable? Experts Sort Through New Task Force Report.”

http://www.healthcareinfosecurity.com/analysis-are-hhs-cybersecurity-recommendations-achievable-a-9971

McGee:

“A new Department of Health and Human Services report to Congress containing more than 100 recommendations for how healthcare can better address cybersecurity threats is stirring debate over whether smaller organizations will be able to take the recommended actions.”

Cha-ching!

Privacy attorney David Holtzman, vice president of compliance at the consultancy CynergisTek, tells Healthinfosec:

“The majority of information systems that create or maintain personally identifiable health information are owned and managed by small organizations whose capability or access to the people or technology to secure information systems is limited by financial constraints or ability to attract well-trained human resources,” he says. “At first glance, it is difficult to see how these small organizations can translate the recommendations in the report into tangible progress.”

As large, juicy healthcare organizations successfully harden their cyber-defenses, small healthcare entities – like dental offices – will attract identity thieves with smaller, juicy low-hanging fruit.

Or, as suggested in the article, taxpayers can subsidize cyber-protection for dentists and other small healthcare organizations. In my opinion, that simply won’t happen.

***

Wary dental patients – many of whom have received breach notifications or have learned about identity theft the hard way – will find it increasingly easy to find a new dentist who does not put their identities on computers. After all, electronic dental records offer dental patients no tangible benefits anyway.

Assessment

If dental patients’ identities are unavailable, they cannot be stolen …. Still too early for de-identification, Doc? Give it time. I’ve got patience.

***

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: Information Technology, Practice Management, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: ADA, D. Kellus Pruitt DDS, dental electronic records, dental records, eDRs | 5 Comments »

Timeless Art by Pruitt

Posted on December 29, 2016 by Dr. David Edward Marcinko MBA MEd CMP™

My art is now featured on Etsy

I have now stocked my Etsy store with 14 works.

Please come visit me. Take a look around.

“Panhandle Depot” is the first of many

[By Darrell K. Pruitt DDS]

The “Panhandle Depot”

Signed and dated, 8×10 print of a high resolution colored pencil painting depicting a Santa Fe locomotive approaching the Panhandle, Texas depot from the East.

***

[The painting is based on a photo I took in 1993. The piece was completed in November, 2016]

More: https://www.etsy.com/listing/487534416/panhandle-depot-color-pencil-print

***

Dental Mission

And, I came across a drawing from a dental mission that I don’t think I have shared.

“Difficult Extraction”

[Based on a photo I took in 1992 during a dental mission to Tela, Honduras, on the Caribbean coast of Honduras]

***

Conclusion

OUR OTHER PRINT BOOKS AND RELATED INFORMATION SOURCES:

PRACTICES: www.BusinessofMedicalPractice.com
HOSPITALS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781466558731
CLINICS: http://www.crcpress.com/product/isbn/9781439879900
ADVISORS: www.CertifiedMedicalPlanner.org
FINANCE: Financial Planning for Physicians and Advisors
INSURANCE: Risk Management and Insurance Strategies for Physicians and Advisors
Dictionary of Health Economics and Finance
Dictionary of Health Information Technology and Security
Dictionary of Health Insurance and Managed Care

***

Filed under: LifeStyle, Pruitt's Platform | Tagged: "Panhandle Depot", colored pencil painting, Darrell K. Pruitt DDS, Etsy, Timeless Art By Pruitt | Leave a comment »

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