Health Care Department Operations Manual

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Chapter 3 – Health Care Operations

Article 3.5 – Dental Care: Dental Clinic Operations

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3.3.5.2 Recording and Scheduling Dental Encounters

  • Policy

    • All California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) dental departments shall document and monitor patient requests for dental treatment submitted via the CDCR 7362, Health Care Services Request Form.

  • Purpose

    • To standardize the recording and scheduling of patient dental encounters.

  • Procedure

    • The Electronic Dental Record System (EDRS) is used for documenting and monitoring patient requests for dental treatment and to schedule encounters. Patients are able to request or access dental services as outlined in the Health Care Department Operations Manual (HCDOM), Section 3.3.5.13(c)(4).

      • A dental staff member shall document patient requests for dental treatment (via a CDCR 7362 or otherwise) in the EDRS Treatment Request Manager, in accordance with EDRS Workflow 1-2 and associated Front Office Job Aid.  Requests generated at chairside shall be completed as outlined in Sections (c)(2)(B) and (c)(3)(A) of this chapter.  (Reference the HCDOM, Section 3.3.5.13(d)(2)(B)5. through 7. for CDCR 7362 review requirements).

      • All patients shall be scheduled in advance, on an equal basis, based on the severity of their dental conditions and where applicable, after fulfilling eligibility requirements for Plaque Index score and time remaining on their sentence (Reference the HCDOM, Section 3.3.5.3, Appendix 1, Dental Priority Classification).

      • The Office Technician (OT), or designated dental staff, shall enter dental appointments in the EDRS to facilitate creation of priority ducats which shall be distributed as outlined in the HCDOM, Section 3.3.5.1(c)(1)(B).

      • The California Correctional Health Care Services, Information Technology, Service Now shall be the system used to provide ongoing support for EDRS users to resolve application related issues, grant or modify EDRS access, and make hardware changes.

    • Information entered in the EDRS is for the purpose of documenting patient dental encounters and monitoring access to care.

      • The provider or designee shall be responsible for correctly and accurately entering all pertinent information in the EDRS.

      • For patients with a Dental Priority Classification (DPC) 1, 2 or 3, as documented in the EDRS Treatment Plan, the provider or designee shall ask the patient, at the end of the encounter, if they would like to request for further treatment. (Reference the HCDOM, Section 3.3.2.2(c)(2)(C) and (D) for exceptions to this procedure).

    • Patient Requests for Further Treatment at the End of a Dental Encounter

      • If a patient has a current EDRS treatment plan or valid outstanding procedures, and requests further treatment at the end of a dental encounter, the provider shall document the request in a clinical note in the EDRS. The OT, or designated dental staff, shall schedule the patient for treatment at the next available encounter relative to the patient’s DPC. (Reference the HCDOM, Section 3.3.5.3(c)(5) for timeframe requirements within which treatment must be initiated).

      • If a patient requests further treatment and does not have a current EDRS treatment plan and is eligible for a comprehensive exam, or in the provider’s opinion the patient’s dental condition warrants a new comprehensive exam, they shall complete and sign a CDCR 7362 stating “Exam.” The provider, or designee, shall notify the OT, or designated dental staff, to schedule the patient for a comprehensive exam at the next available encounter. (Reference the HCDOM, Section 3.3.2.3(c)(1)(A)(2) and (c)(2)(F) for timeframe requirements within which treatment must be initiated). The OT, or designated dental staff, shall scan the CDCR 7362 into the EDRS Document Center.

      • If a patient refuses to request further dental treatment at the end of a dental encounter, where a current treatment plan or valid outstanding procedures exist, then the provider shall document the refusal in a clinical note in the EDRS, in accordance with EDRS Workflow 1-2 and associated Back Office Job Aid, and complete a CDCR 7225-D, Dental Refusal of Examination and/or Treatment. (Reference the HCDOM, Section 3.3.5.6(c)(6) for other requirements concerning a patient refusal). The patient shall be required to submit a CDCR 7362 to access future dental care.

  • References

  • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 3, Article 3, Section 3.3.2.2, Dental Care – Reception Center

  • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 3, Article 3, Section 3.3.2.3, Comprehensive Dental Examinations – Mainline Facility

  • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 3, Article 3, Section 3.3.5.1, Priority Health Care Services Ducat Utilization

  • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 3, Article 3, Section 3.3.5.3, Dental Priority Classifications

  • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 3, Article 3, Section 3.3.5.6, Patient’s Right to Refuse Treatment

  • Health Care Department Operations Manual, Chapter 3, Article 3, Section 3.3.5.13, Access to Care

  • Revision History

  • Effective: 04/2006
    Revised: 03/2019, 11/2020, 02/2022, 06/24/2024