Procedure 7.8.3 - Academic Resale: Dental Clinics

Part 1: Purpose

Students provide dental hygiene services as part of their academic program. All services must be integral to the instructional program. Services are provided to Lake Superior College (LSC) students, employees, and the general public by appointment on a first requested, first served basis.

Part 2: Community Dental Clinic

The Community Dental Clinic operates based on community need, run by volunteer dentists and LSC dental hygiene students under the supervision of instructors.  Free community outreach programs are also run, based on funding availability.

Part 3: Dental Hygiene Clinic

LSC dental hygiene students provide services to the public such as cleanings, x-rays, and fluoride treatments as part of their academic learning program out of the College’s Dental Hygiene Clinic. Expanded treatment options (sealants, mouth guards, and whitening) are available as needed for student experiences as part of the academic program requirements.

Dental Hygiene Clinic visits are not intended to take the place of a dentist appointment as there is no exam and diagnosis provided. Supervising dentists are on site at every Dental Hygiene Clinic, but they do not provide dental services. If any issue is noticed during the cleaning process (such as the need for periodontal treatment), the patient is referred to their own dentist.

There is no income level requirement for treatment at the Dental Hygiene Clinic.

The Dental Hygiene Clinic is advertised to the public, students, and employees. Patients must be willing to take the extra time required to be treated in a teaching clinic; appointments take longer than in a dental office because every step of the student hygienist’s work is checked by an instructor before the process is continued. Appointments are scheduled on a first request basis, one semester at a time.

Part 4:  Community Dental and Dental Hygiene Clinic Procedures

Subpart A: Admissions

1. Admission history form must be completed by patients including:
   1. Personal data: first, middle, and last name, date of birth, address, phone number, and student ID number as well as questions regarding the patient’s medical and dental history.
   2. Consent and acknowledgment of services to be received, permissions granted, and acknowledgment of receiving or reviewing a copy of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Patient Bill of Rights.
2. Dental Hygiene Clinic uses a comprehensive computer system for dental offices, which includes scheduling, charting, billing, invoice printing, and patient accounts.

Subpart B: Costs

Fees are posted outside the Dental Clinic office window, visible to patients at check in. Fees are as follows:

1. Basic services (cleaning, x-ray, and fluoride treatment): Seniors – $15, Adults – $20, College Students & Children (age 8-18) – $15, and Children 7 & under – $10.
2. Expanded treatments: sealants – $15, mouth guard – $10, and whitening – $60.
3. First year dental students are able to bring their own patients at no charge for basic services. Expanded services are charged at the regular rates listed above. 

Subpart C: Payments and Billing

1. Payments must be made at the Dental Clinic office window.
   1. Patients may pay prior to receiving the service or after invoicing.
2. Insurance, which is billed electronically, is accepted.
   1. Insurance is billed first. After insurance payment is received, the balance is invoiced to the patient.

Subpart D: Cash Procedures

1. Daily Log
   1. Log of clients and charges by day is maintained by Dental Hygiene Clinic staff.
   2. Receipts are part of the daily log system.
   3. The receipt is a duplicate copy and it is transferred to the log sheet. The log sheets are stored in the Dental Hygiene Clinic.
   4. Each daily log sheet is numbered.
   5. If cancellations occur, they are crossed off the schedule on the same day. In these cases, there are services recorded for the patient on that day.
2. Cash on Hand
   1. Amount is recorded in ISRS ($30).
   2. Cash on hand remains with the department throughout the entire 12 month calendar year.
   3. The Dental Clinic staff and appropriate student employees are the only ones with access to the locked cash drawer. The office is locked at all times and requires a key to access.
   4. Business Services Office staff conducts unscheduled audits of cash balance periodically.
3. Deposits
   1. Dental Clinic staff prepares the deposit.
      1. Deposit form references the daily log number.
      2. Cash over/shorts are recorded in the deposit and noted on that day on the daily log sheet.
      3. Deposit date on the form is the date it is brought to the Business Services Office.
      4. Clinic coordinator brings deposit to the Business Services Office or may contact Security to deliver it.
      5. Deposits over $200 must be made the same day. Deposits less than $200 must be made within three (3) business days, but every effort should be made to make deposits daily.
   2. Deposit is verified by Business Services Office staff.
      1. Checks are stamped in the Business Services Office.
      2. Deposits are credited to the appropriate account in the LSC accounting system.

   Subpart E: Accounts Receivable

   1. If the patient does not pay on the day of service or owes after insurance is processed, invoices are printed on the software program and mailed in a window envelope along with a return payment envelope.
      1. Customer submits check in the envelope and sends it back to the Dental Hygiene Clinic.
      2. Receipts are written on the day payment is received.
   2. Dental Hygiene Clinic staff maintains a record of receivables in the patients’ computer record and individual folders.
      1. Folders with amounts owing are kept on a specified shelf until payment is received.
      2. Accounts receivable reports are printed from the software program.
      3. Statements on outstanding balances are mailed monthly.
      4. Payments not received by the end of the fiscal year are submitted to the Business Services Office for collections.

   Subpart F: Internal Mitigating Control

   Ideally staff that does not have access to the cash drawer should prepare deposit, but this is not possible due to small staff size. Mitigating controls are in place to verify deposits with the daily log and ISRS reports.

   1. An employee from the Business Services Office conducts audit tests of the deposit at least twice each semester (mid-semester and after the last clinic) and cash on hand at least once per semester.
   2. After the end of the academic year and before the end of the fiscal year, Dental Hygiene Clinic staff runs a receivables report from the software program and submits it to the Business Services Office for evaluation of aging and potential accounts for collection.

History

Date Implemented: June 10, 2015

Date of Review/Revisions: March 16, 2022

President's Signature Date: March 22, 2022