We want to give you some crucial information to help you navigate through this unprecedented territory. None of us know how long this public health issue will last.
Patient Protocols
If you are open (or open for emergency only visits) the following questions are recommended for patient appointment confirmation protocol:
1. Have you been outside of the United States recently? If so, when and where?
2. Have you been experiencing a fever recently?
3. What other health issues have you experienced?
Additional guidelines and FAQ’s are available on the ADA’s website here:
Finances
As we progress into uncharted territory, you should have a plan to establish cash reserves for you and your practice.
You should have a line of credit (LOC). Your banker should be able to help you with this if you do not have one in place. Many banks are working to have an easy process to put this in place. This should be available in the next few weeks, if not now.
We have heard that lenders and banks are establishing hardship programs. You should contact your lenders to see about deferring loan payments if needed.
We are waiting to see if the federal government will provide any relief for filing deadlines or taxes due. We expect a 90 day reprieve to be established soon.
The House passed H.R. 6201 “The Families First Coronavirus Response Act” on March 14
th
. Tax provisions include:
-A tax credit not to exceed $7,156 per employee which is designed to compensate
employers for the cost of providing up to two weeks of paid sick leave.
-A credit not to exceed $10,000 per employee designed to compensate employers
for the cost of providing paid family leave.
-Additional items include non-tax provisions such as an increase in state
unemployment, nutrition aid, free and reduced meals, food stamps, Medicaid, etc.
In the next month or so, we will be reviewing the impact this has on your practice and adjusting our advice to you regarding salaries and withholding.
Staff Impact
The ADA and the SC and NC Dental Associations are all recommending that dental offices close down or only provide emergency services for patients in the next few weeks. Here are some of the comments and questions we are receiving:
-Are we obligated to pay our employees if we have to close the office?
-We are having many patient cancellations.
-Can our employees collect unemployment if needed?
One of our contacts is Tim Twigg, President and owner of Bent Ericksen & Associates. Many of you have heard Tim speak and have his dental specific HR Manual in your offices. We recommend you look at his link to answer your employee related questions:
We are also providing links to SC, NC and GA unemployment sites. To date, there is no new information on these sites but we expect that to change.
Please remember we are a strong community and together we can navigate through this. Stay strong, safe and positive! We are all in this boat together. Do not hesitate to call us if you need to talk.
COLEMAN, UREDA. ALFORD & KAUCHER,. PA
