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QUICK BITES:

• With ComplyBetter, it’s now possible for WSDA members to track, manage and complete compliance requirements across multiple standards in one platform. 
• ComplyBetter offers a comprehensive, on-demand suite of regulatory compliance tools covering HIPAA, OSHA/WISHA, infection control requirements and more.
• Developed by WSDA in conjunction with ERNwest, ComplyBetter is available for one competitive, member-discounted price.
• WSDA members are beginning to take advantage of ComplyBetter’s capabilities to streamline regulatory compliance.

For years, dental practices have had to manage compliance with HIPAA, OSHA/WISHA, infection control and other workplace health and safety regulations in a variety of formats and offerings, often logging signed physical documents as proof of compliance in those ever-present three-ring vinyl binders. Setting aside time for staff training used to require offices to shut down for entire days, creating additional scheduling headaches for both staff and patients, not to mention the lost production time. The ongoing process of accurately documenting every training for each staff member and new hire was also tedious.

Now, thanks to ComplyBetter, compliance training, documentation and tracking is easier than ever – no binders or shutdowns required.

Time for a New Model

“Traditionally, a dental office will go through a company for compliance training. We’re all used to seeing the OSHA binder in our office,” said Trish Flaig, WSDA manager of regulatory and compliance services. Prior to joining WSDA, Flaig was a compliance manager for a large dental practice. She has worked closely with the WSDA team on the development of ComplyBetter, which officially launched in January.

“It was time for a new model to emerge on compliance management,” said Flaig. “Dental offices are busy – they don’t have a lot of downtime. ComplyBetter makes it easy and accessible to do throughout the day. It takes the leg work out of keeping track of what is due, fulfilling the requirements, and documenting those results,” she said.

There are a number of other commercially available online training and regulatory compliance services out in the market, Flaig said. But the problem with many of those services is that they aren’t specifically tailored to the unique needs of a dental practice, they may only cover one area of dental compliance, and they can be extremely expensive.

“It’s a tremendous cost factor for large and small practices, on top of paying someone to come in for a training. With ComplyBetter, this really complements that new employee onboarding or even a refresher training,” she said.

“It’s literally thousands of dollars lost to shut down your clinic, pay a trainer and pay staff to attend. The savings are huge.”

How Does ComplyBetter Work?

ComplyBetter was crafted from start to finish with dental professionals and their offices in mind. The software offers a comprehensive suite of resources to simplify the regulatory compliance process.

Dental offices can keep track of state and federal rules and regulations to stay compliant with HIPAA, OSHA/WISHA, infection control requirements and more. The service also includes online courses in various compliance areas that include end-of-course exams to demonstrate understanding.

ComplyBetter is available on mobile and desktop, so training and updates are quick and convenient to access.

“WSDA has thought through every aspect of what makes a compliance service convenient for dental offices, creating modules designed to meet the compliance training needs of Washington dentists and their staff,” said Flaig. “Dental professionals are very good at using their time between patients. If you have a couple of minutes, you can simply log in, get a few things done and it will save your progress.”

WSDA has carefully crafted all of the online training modules – from accident prevention programs to HIPAA policies and procedures – identifying and addressing compliance needs. Using the reporting features in ComplyBetter, doctors can assign training requirements to staff and quickly check their progress on completing the assignments. The service also offers downloadable resources, checklists for incident reporting and more, said Flaig.

Saving Time, Saving Money

Lane Meyer has practiced general dentistry for 17 years in the small town of Ferndale, located in Whatcom County. To his credit, and to the benefit of his patients, Meyer has retained the same staff for all those 17 years.

So, when he recently found himself in need of hiring a new dental assistant, he began to think about other ways he could improve efficiency in his small dental practice. Being out of the employment market for 17 years, Meyer reached out to WSDA for hiring advice.

“When I decided to bring on this new employee, I did some looking into the ComplyBetter software and realized it’s going to be huge factor in streamlining not only the new hire process, but also our entire office in terms of all the compliance issues and checklists for HIPAA, OSHA, and WISHA,” said Meyer. “All the courses and things they need to take and be knowledgeable before they step into my office are in this software.”

In preparation for her new job, Meyer’s new dental assistant has been taking ComplyBetter courses at home. When she’s in the office, Meyer said, she can focus on her on-the-job training.

“One of the reasons I signed up is that I am a small office with a small staff – we work five days a week and are super busy. When you’re booked out and busy, it’s really nice to be able to have access to training and not have to shut the whole office down for a training, or travel to another city and take classes. That takes lots of money, time, energy and gas in getting there,” he added.

“In the long run it will save a lot of time,” said Meyer. “And saving time can save money.”

Innovators Seeking Innovative Business Solutions

Skagit Valley dentist Jessica Dubek is an innovator within the dental industry.

For the past 10 years, she served as the dental director for the Lummi Nation, where she worked to ensure quality care for the oral health needs of tribal patients. It was there that she saw the need for quality oral health care delivered directly to patients in their own communities. That’s why, about a year ago, she launched her own innovative business to respond to the need for oral health care services in the state.

Dubek is the founder of DentAll, a portable and mobile dental company providing mobile dental services to those communities that face high barriers and low access to oral health care. She and her staff of 12 use two vans and a few portable sites to deliver these oral health care services. As an innovator herself, Dubek was attracted to ComplyBetter in her search for other such business solutions.

“Being a mobile and portable company, we don’t have a set home base,” said Dubek. “My decade as a dental director has reinforced how important compliance is. We want to be operating at the highest possible standard for DentAll. It’s pretty cool that we get to work with a lot of other companies like ComplyBetter. We are trying to be a collaborator with other startups and produce an innovative, sustainable mobile model.”

One of the biggest advantages of ComplyBetter: local customer service and support from the experts at WSDA.

“We are all so busy – just getting that local-level response is so helpful, not only about ComplyBetter but also about WISHA, too,” added Dubek. “It is so hard to get good customer service these days. With ComplyBetter, you get a real, one-on-one customer service connection.”

And for a startup business, costs matter. For Dubek, the ComplyBetter pricing model also made it easy to get started.

“We don’t have huge revenue as a startup,” said Dubek. “I talked to quite a few platforms before signing on. You absolutely can’t beat the price point on this.”

Adding Value to WSDA Services

In recent months, WSDA has unveiled several value-added services and initiatives designed to strengthen the value the Association provides and reduce costs for members. ComplyBetter is one of those new services.

“Building non-dues income streams and reducing our reliance on dues revenues will require a diverse range of services that provide meaningful value to our members,” wrote [former] WSDA President Nathan Russell in his 2024 WSDA News editorial.

“Every WSDA member will eventually benefit from some of the value-added services we are offering to our members, whether that is in helping them reduce the costs to maintain their license, to provide insurance protection for themselves and their families, or to comply with myriad regulations we face,” he wrote.

Kainoa Trotter, WSDA assistant executive director, says ComplyBetter was an obvious opportunity for the Association to meet a serious need among members and non-members alike.

“Navigating the sea of local, state and federal regulations on dentists and the practice of dentistry has become a full-time job for most practices. And if you’re in a small office, the challenge is further compounded because of staffing,” said Trotter. “We’ve invested a significant amount of time and effort in developing ComplyBetter so that it can be customized to fit your individual office needs and is easy to navigate.”

Trotter was heavily involved in the development of ComplyBetter, drawing on his nearly two decades of experience working in WSDA membership to shape the product. He knows how important it is to ensure that ComplyBetter, as with any service developed by WSDA, provides an easy user experience and centers the unique needs of dentists and their staff.

“If the user experience is poor, no one is going to use it,” he said. “We think – and our beta testers have said – that ComplyBetter’s performance has been good in achieving these goals. And it will only improve as we continue to enhance the product. ComplyBetter is a great example of how WSDA is developing programs that meet member needs while also finding ways to increase non-dues revenue.”

Positive Response

Right now, WSDA is focused solely on the federal and state compliance requirements for Washington dental professionals, said Flaig. ComplyBetter is still in its infancy, and if Meyer and Dubek offer a representative sample of the user experience, the future looks positive for wider acceptance in Washington – and strong potential for expansion to other states, which is the ultimate goal for the product.

“ComplyBetter is scalable, and could be customized and branded for other states,” said Flaig. The service also could potentially be expanded to include other industries with compliance requirements, including hospitality, construction and some areas of medicine.

“At the end of the day, there is tremendous value in having the backing of your dental association,” said Flaig. “We’re here to support clients with whatever comes up.”

Trotter acknowledged that, while the project just launched in January, and the number of active users remains fairly modest, the feedback from early adopters is very positive.

“We fully expect that word of mouth will continue to spread regarding the benefits of ComplyBetter and that growth will be accelerating over the course of 2025.”

Get Started with ComplyBetter’s Early Adopter Pricing!

ComplyBetter offers competitive pricing tailored to your office size and discounted for WSDA members. Get started with ComplyBetter now to receive further discounted early adopter pricing!

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