Emergency Property Measures

Locate, create and safely store the following items now so they are easy to access and see in if needed:

• A full-circle call tree that illustrates who contacts whom on the practice team.
• Instructions for an offline messaging app, which allows staff to communicate even if wireless data or internet connections are not available.
• Guidelines for maintaining compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
• A Certificate of Insurance and contact information for your property insurance carrier. This document will be necessary if you are forced to temporarily relocate your practice.
• Steps to follow when returning from an evacuation.

• Contact patients to reschedule appointments at a future date when you anticipate the practice can safely reopen.
• Reach out to your employees to notify them of the temporary suspension of on-site appointments and begin to assign remote work duties, if possible.
• Determine what services you can perform via teledentistry until your practice is restored. 

• Secure the premises if windows or doors have been broken by contacting an emergency board-up company.
• Contact your property management to coordinate access to the premises and repair efforts.
• If the event resulted in the theft of or damage to computer equipment, contact your IT service provider to provide remote access, evaluate risks and restore data.
• Contact your dental equipment representative if you’ve sustained damage to dental equipment, so that you can coordinate testing, assessment or repair.
• Hire a restoration company to address water, smoke, fire damage as soon as possible to mitigate further loss.

If the unimaginable happens and your practice is damaged, document the damage and file a claim as soon as possible.

• Take photos of damages if law enforcement, the fire department and city officials have  allowed entrance to the building.
• Provide copies of inventory lists and financial documentation to your insurance adjuster.
• Do not start any cleaning or property removal until the loss site has been inspected by your insurance company.
• Ensure companies that are offering assistance after the fire are licensed.