It will now be even easier to book appointments online, thanks to the integration of the DriCloud and Top Doctors platforms. For patients this is an additional benefit, as without the need to come to the office or make a call, they will be able to request an appointment with their trusted specialist. At any time, regardless of the time or day, and easily accessed from their computer or cell phone.
By logging on to the web or using the Top Doctors App they will be able to see the availability of dates and times in real time. And when they book an appointment online, it will be automatically registered in the agenda of the DriCloud medical software and XDentalCloud dental software.
Thus, the thousands of users of these platforms will be able to enjoy the advantages of the synchronization of both medical management systems. With the improvements introduced in the upgrade, the process is even easier and more secure.
The system implemented in DriCloud and XDental generates a notification to the office staff, indicating that there is a new appointment reservation made in the Top Doctors system. Likewise, reminders are configured for the patient, both by SMS and email, and all this at no additional cost. This optimizes the process, avoiding the inconvenience of no-shows, and reduces the administrative workload of the clinic’s staff.
Data Protection and Data Security in clinical management
But this is just one of the advantages of the integration of DriCloud and XDental with Top Doctors. With the alliance of these portals, compliance with the Organic Law on Data Protection and Guarantee of Digital Rights, known as LOPD 2018, as well as the new European RGPD, is also guaranteed.
As you well know, in December 2018 this new regulation came into force, replacing the previous LOPD of 1999. The aim is to comply with the requirements of the General Data Protection Regulation, which governs the entire European Union.
In this way, uniformity is guaranteed in the application of the rules for the protection of personal data throughout the Community. As a result, citizens have the power to control how their private information is used. This implies compliance with new guidelines for healthcare personnel, which you should be aware of and abide by, in order to avoid penalties.
It is advisable to be aware of the scope of these regulations, as they entail significant changes. For example, with regard to the duty to inform and the right of data subjects to their data, the mandatory content of the information clauses has been expanded.
In this sense, these must include, among other things, the contact details of the treating physician or person responsible for the treatment, in addition to those corresponding to the legal representative of the clinic. Likewise, you must provide your patients with the identification and contact details of the designated data protection officer.
On the other hand, you must be very strict with the deadlines for data retention. These periods must be communicated to the data subjects.
New rights have also been recognized for patients in relation to the protection and security of their data. Thus, with the LOPD 2018, the patient’s prerogative to have access to his or her personal information is recognized, in addition to the possibility of requesting rectification or deletion of the data, opposing or establishing limitations to the use of this information and knowing the conditions for its portability. All these powers must be expressly communicated to the interested parties, so that they can exercise the pertinent actions. It should be noted that the patient will always have the right to withdraw his or her consent whenever he or she wishes to do so.
Despite the wide coverage that has been given to this issue, many people are still unaware of their rights and it is your obligation to ensure that they are well informed. That is why you should also include in your communications a section clearly stating the patient’s right to file any complaint with the competent supervisory authority.
As you can see, the current informative clause is much more extensive and rigorous than that provided for in art. 5 of Organic Law 15/1999 on Data Protection.
Do you comply with the requirements of Security and Data Protection of your patients?
In addition to the expanded content of the information, you should also pay attention to the way it is communicated. The law advocates the principle of transparency in the processing of patient data. Among other aspects, it refers to information about the treating physician or person responsible for the treatment, the purpose of the procedure and the handling of the personal information of the data subjects.
Such is the importance attached to this point in the GDPR that it is expressly mentioned in Article 5 and subsequently developed in depth in Article 12. It applies throughout the entire data processing process, from the time the data is collected and recorded until it is deleted. This means that the data controller must communicate to the patient about any changes made to the data, from the characteristics or evolution of the procedure, to the mechanisms foreseen for the handling and management of the information.
These communications may be in writing or by electronic means. In certain circumstances, it is even possible to provide information verbally. In any case, technical terms or specialized language should be avoided, always opting for a simple and concise wording.
Title III of the LOPD 2018 addresses this issue, and establishes the suitability of the use of “layered information”, i.e., providing the data subject with the basic information, but referring him/her to other means of communication (electronic or physical) where he/she will be able to access the remaining information immediately.
Some may consider that the term “easy access” gives rise to ambiguities or subjective interpretations. However, to clarify this point, a working group was organized to specifically address article 29 and define the characteristics to be applied to verify compliance with this requirement. Thus, it was agreed that it is mandatory to eliminate all kinds of obstacles or barriers to access to information, which must be available to the interested party without him having to make any effort to search for it. It must be evident and free of charge.
This last aspect may cause some inconvenience for medical management and affect your cost structure. Especially when the requests for information from the interested parties are recurrent. It is then when the use of technological tools that automate these processes makes more sense. A good software for citrus allows you to generate reports and reports immediately, saving time and money.
Keep in mind that the legislation establishes very severe penalties when data protection rules, LOPD, now the RGPD, are violated. Fines for data controllers can reach sums of up to €20 million or the equivalent of 4% of the annual total of the previous financial year.
Efficient and paperless clinical management
Despite the many advantages of practice management software and dental practice software, some doctors and dentists express some resistance to change. One of their biggest concerns is data migration. Considering the confidentiality and volume of information, this may seem a reasonable doubt.
However, DriCloud and XDental have made an effort to offer all our clients a user-friendly system to migrate data on paper or in other programs, with absolute ease and security.
It is a fast and simple method that will allow you to migrate all your patient records in a very short time. The tool is very intuitive, so it is not necessary to have specialized computer skills. In a few days, all your patients’ data will be stored in their respective medical records in DriCloud securely and in full compliance with the new RGPD.