G ove r n men t Re lat ions
PDA’s Government Relations Advisory Group and Board of
Trustees are busy monitoring and responding to dozens of bills
introduced in the Pennsylvania General Assembly since session
commenced in January. We have a two-year window to pass,
defeat or amend legislation before the 2017-18 session ends.
Our priority remains passing assignment of benefits legislation,
student loan forgiveness for dentists, and increased funding for
Donated Dental Services and the Medical Assistance program. We
also monitor and respond to the dozens of bills that have been
introduced regarding opioid prescriptive authority and abuse.
While PDA takes a focused approach in limiting its primary
advocacy efforts to these issues, we will monitor and address the
following issues on an as-needed basis:
• Protecting the current dental team model and patients’
safety by limiting or restricting the unsupervised practice
of non-dentists.
• All other workforce and scope of practice issues.
• Supporting programs and policies aimed at improving
oral health.
• Representing dentistry’s interests on issues pertaining
to the Affordable Care Act.
• All insurance issues, such as balance billing, coordination
of benefits and credentialing.
SB 373 and HB 823: Assignment of Benefits
Sen. John Eichelberger (R-Blair) and Rep. Stan Saylor (R-York)
made good on their promise to reintroduce assignment of
benefits legislation in the Senate and House. SB 373 and HB 823
would require insurers to honor patients’ request to assign
benefits directly to their dental providers, regardless of whether
or not the dentist participates with the insurer.
PDA is aggressively lobbying for enactment of assignment of
benefits legislation, having spent much of 2016 working with
Senate and House leaders and staff on language that satisfied
their concerns about adequate consumer protection safeguards.
SB 373 has 19 cosponsors and was assigned to the Senate
Banking and Insurance Committee. HB 823 has 42 cosponsors
and is assigned to the House Insurance Committee.
HB 412: Regulating Mail-Order Orthodontics
Rep. Thomas Murt (R-Montgomery) introduced HB 412,
legislation that would make it unlawful for dental technicians and
dental labs operating in Pennsylvania to furnish orthodontic
appliances unless a dentist has first examined the patient,
authorized and prescribed the orthodontia services. This bill was
introduced to stem a growing trend of technicians offering
orthodontia treatment and/or appliances through the mail
without patients having been seen by dentists, potentially
jeopardizing patient safety by compromising their overall health.
HB 412 has two cosponsors and is assigned to the House
Professional Licensure Committee. In February, PDA cosigned a
letter of support with the Pennsylvania Academy of General
Dentistry and offered amendments to further strengthen the
bill against the practice of dentistry by unlicensed individuals.
HB 346: Prohibiting Restrictive Covenants Not to Compete
in Health Care Provider Employment Contracts
According to Rep. Anthony DeLuca (D-Allegheny), the primary
sponsor of HB 346, non-complete clauses in health care
provider employment contracts “effectively limit a practitioners’
ability to find a new employer, switch employers, continue
seeing patients and practicing in their community.” Supporters
for this legislation believe that practitioners’ options are too
limited, especially for young practitioners who have little option
but to accept contracts’ restrictive terms.
HB 346 has nine cosponsors and is assigned to the House
Health Committee for first consideration. PDA leaders are takin g
all members’ concerns into consideration while formulating a
position on this bill.
SB 354: Licensee Reporting Requirements and Suspensions
Sen. Robert Tomlinson (R-Bucks) introduced SB 354, legislation
that would require all licensees, registrants and certificate
holders to report any disciplinary conduct by any licensing
board or an arrest, indictment or conviction. The bill provides a
30-day window for individuals to make the report. Failure to
report would result in disciplinary action.
SB 354 would also provide each licensing board and
commission with authority to automatically suspend a licensee,
under circumstances determined by the respective licensing
board, to be an “immediate and clear danger to the public
health and safety.”
SB 354 has six cosponsors and is assigned to the Senate
Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee for
consideration.
MAY/JU N E 2017 | P EN N SYLVAN IA DEN TAL JOURNAL
7