Conor Killmurray

At some point you’ve probably come across an email that sounds a little bit like this, “Are you Available? I need you to personally run a task for me ASAP. I am caught up with an emergency. Just reply to my Emails. Let me know if you can get this done right now. Regards, (your employer)”. And it probably has an address that looks similar to the person you would expect this sort of email from, but something doesn’t quite feel right.

That’s because it isn’t right, the email you received is actually a phishing attack looking to steal your information. It’s easy to think you would immediately recognize this for a phishing attack, but the reality is that lots of people have fallen for these attacks.

 2018 Data Breach Investigations report, 4% of people will click on a phishing link and according to 

 their original research shows that healthcare has a 12% click rate when it comes to phishing emails. Furthermore, in April of this year alone 

 sensitive records were exposed from 56 reported data breaches many of which were the result of successful hacking.

These attacks may often seem insignificant, but one slip up can lead to your systems being compromised and your patient’s data breached. This can then result in not just lost revenue for your practice as you spend money to mitigate the effects of the attack, but also your patients trust leading to them leaving your practice.

Below are 3 of the best ways to keep your patients’ information safe!  

For more insight on protecting your patient’s data, read on 

Articles

Phishing is one of the most common forms of hacking attacks, and it works too well in healthcare. Make sure you're keeping your patient's information, and your own information, safe.

3 Ways to Stay Safe from Phishing attacks

One of the leading DSO's in the nation expanded its reach to Cincinnati, Ohio and is looking to expand more in the state.

 announced the opening of their first supported dental practice in the state of Ohio, which will be operating out of Cincinnati. 

 is owned by Bach Nguyen, D.D.S and is advertising a patient centric approach as they are looking to provide specialty services like endodontics, oral & maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, periodontics, hygiene, and pediatric dentistry, all under the same roof. 

The new practice is also offering “modern dentistry” with new technologies such as Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT), digital x-rays, laser, online scheduling, and the VELscope® Enhanced Oral Assessment System. This continues a trend among dental groups, and dental support groups, of focusing on new modern technologies but also finding a way to integrate 

 into their practice, despite the dental industry being behind in this regard compared to other medical industries.           

Dr. Nguyen commented on the opening of the new practice saying, “I’m pleased that the opening of Dentists of Westwood will allow us to provide comprehensive oral health care to patients in Cincinnati. Our new dental practice will provide patients customized treatment plans using the latest dental technology, as well as multi-specialty services. We look forward to serving the people of Cincinnati and providing the Perfect Patient Experience

Practices supported by PDS® also look to focus on the link between oral health and whole-body health. This holistic approach to dentistry is not PDS specific as many leaders in the dental industry look to educate patients on the link between oral health and overall health, and ultimately, how better overall health starts with the mouth. Furthermore, maladies of the mouth, including periodontal disease, may be linked with other medical conditions including oral cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and more based off 

“Expanding access to care for patients in the state of Ohio is an incredible milestone,” said Stephen E. Thorne, IV, Founder & CEO of Pacific Dental Services. “We’re excited that there is such a strong demand for our services in Ohio. Already, we have plans to help dentists to open three more offices in the greater Cincinnati area in the coming months. Although PDS’ network of supported dental practices has expanded to 21 states throughout the U.S., our organization remains uniquely local. Within their neighborhood practices, each owner dentist remains focused on providing comprehensive oral health care, one patient at a time.”

For more recent news on DSO supported practices, read on 

One of the leading DSO's in the country, Pacific Dental Services, extended its reach and access to care to 21 States by opening a new supported practice in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pacific Dental Services Opens its First Supported Dental Practice in Ohio

Managing your loans can be tricky but paying off your auto loans first is essential.

Auto loans, for most people, are the number one payment they need to make. Without use of a car getting to work, getting children to school, getting food, getting medical care, and many other essential day to day tasks all become much harder. This is a major detriment, and the norm, for too many Americans now.

A recent report from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York 

 that 7 million Americans are about 3 months or more behind on their auto loan payments. Furthermore, overall performance of auto loans has been slowly getting worse. In 2018 loans heading for serious delinquency, late payments of 90 days or more, went up to 2.4%. A seemingly small, but ultimately major leap from the 1.5% of loans heading for serious delinquency in 2012.

 don’t fall behind on your payments and keep your car? Here are 4 tips to keep in mind.

This is the most obvious tip, but also the most essential. You can plan any way you want to pay off your loans, but if your payments are not on time you simply will not be able to pay your loan back. Each payment will also become more expensive with each day late, depending on the interest rate and late policies of where you took the loan out. This will only add on to your debt, and if you are already struggling to pay your loan paying late might make it impossible.

You can avoid late payments by making payment due dates a regular reminder in your calendar or to-do list. Most loans will also give you the option to create an auto-payment where they take the money directly from the account you want to pay your loan from. These payments are sometimes calculated in a way that could take you quite a while to pay off, so adjust the plan according to how you fast you want to pay the loan off.

Your credit score is vital to know before you apply for a loan to help pay off your car. This number will determine what potential loans you could be in line for from a lender. This is because your credit score determines for the lender your capacity to pay back the loan. With a good credit score the lender becomes willing to give you the loan you want because they can trust you’ll pay it back.

A study from financial literacy website Wallethub found that in the first quarter of 2019 the difference some with fair credit will spend on their auto loans versus someone with excellent credit is about 

. The worse your credit score is, then the more likely the terms of your loan won’t be in your favor, or you just won’t be given an auto loan to begin with.     

With an uneven payment you have the option to round your payment up, and potentially knock off your loan sooner. While you will be adding more money to each loan payment you make it doesn’t have to add up to an bank breaking amount. Take for instance an 

 of $264.12 a month rounded up to an even $300 month. Per month that’s an extra $35.88, and over the course of 12 months that’s an extra $430.56 you’re paying without adding a drastic amount to your monthly payment. Little by little this can help you chip away at your loan faster than you originally intended.       

Refinancing your loan can be a great way to speed up your loan repayment and make the most of your credit score, especially if you find yourself with a better credit score then when you first took your loan out. Often, refinancing your loan doesn’t have to be through a third party as you can go back to the original lender to refinance.

Just ensure that you have all proper documentation and proof of a better credit score than when you first took the loan out. In most cases you will get a lower interest rate that is fixed and will not change through the course of your repayment. However, be careful of the interest rates on the market, in some cases they will work out in your favor and in others it might be better to just keep your current loan plan.

Four Financial Faux Pas and How to Avoid Them

2019 Credit Card Trend and Tips to Handle Them

7 million Americans are about 3 months or more behind on their auto loan payments, a trend that continues to grow. Hereâ€™s 4 ways to make sure that you arenâ€™t a part of this trend.

4 Tips to Paying Your Auto Loans on Time

Stress is not exclusive to your home or work life and finding balance between the two is key to success in both. Start with making sure you keep work at work.

 46% of American workers reported that their workload is the main cause of their stress. Stress that can follow you home and affect your social and family life in negative ways, and sometimes vice versa. Which is ultimately why finding a proper balance is crucial to both your social life and productivity at work, and that balance starts by doing your best to leave work at work. Here are just a few ways to make yourself more productive at the office and able to step away from the desk when the day is over.  

We live in an age where you’re never really away from the proverbial desk, in fact, with the push of a button or touch of a screen you’re back and connected to your email or work documents from just about anywhere you have an internet connection. This makes the urge to answer a work email and go down an unwanted rabbit hole easier to indulge.

Unless it’s an absolute emergency, it’s best to not indulge these impulses but that’s hard when screens are an everyday part of our lives. This makes the only solution to unplug while you’re at home. Take the time to set up a do not disturb on your phone or setting to limit screen time for the hours you plan on taking to yourself and your family. Walk away from your computer when you can and fill your free time with activities that don’t require an internet connection of any sort. Read a book, see a movie with your family, go for a walk, etc. just make sure you’re unplugged and staying present.    

While there are many ways to try and make yourself more productive there are times where it’s simply too much, and that’s ok. Learn to recognize when you might be in over your head and communicate to your manager or team member that you could use some help.

It is also important to recognize when you have the choice to say no. No one wants to be that person that doesn’t take on their share of the load, but no one wants to have to do all the work by themselves. By saying no to tasks, you feel can be handled elsewhere you can free up space to tackle larger challenges and keep your plate from overflowing.

Before you head off to work for the day set a firm time of when your work day is going to end. If you work on an hourly basis then this is easier, if that isn’t the case then it can become very easy to lose track of the day. Not only will working overtime when it isn’t needed cut into potential free time you have at home with your family, but also can run you down and cut into future productivity.

Now a finish line doesn’t have to be for any specific project, just for when the day ends, and you leave the office. Setting this finish line will allow you to help create a boundary between home and work as well as provide motivation throughout the day to stay focused. If you know you have to leave by five instead of lingering till six, then you’ll make sure to get everything done within your time limit. Just make sure not to put too much pressure on this finish line in the case you have to be flexible and stay late or didn’t hit everything on your to do list. It’s supposed to help not to hinder.    

Every once in a while, it’s good to take a break, breaks are built into most work situations and it’s best to utilize them when you can. It’ll allow you to fuel up, take a breather, and reset yourself for the rest of the tasks ahead of you. If you keep pushing through every item on the to do list without stopping, you’ll find yourself moving slower by the end of the day and potentially suffering later on.

Now, sometimes a non-stop day is unavoidable but string too many of those days in a row and you will be looking at a decrease in productivity and energy at home. Even if you feel pressured not to take a break go ahead and take that break, just a short moment to collect yourself can mean all the difference in the world to your health and the patients you see.

Addressing Suicidal Tendencies in the Healthcare Population

The main cause of stress for many people is their workload, and dentists are no stranger to this. An overburdening workload can not only help to ruin your productivity at work but also negatively impact your home life. In order to work towards a proper balance of the two it's best to try and keep work at work. Hereâ€™s 4 tips to do just that.