GOVERNMENT RELATIONS continued
ADA Leadership Conference
The 2013 Washington Leadership Conference ( WLC ) was held May 13-15 at the JW Marriott in Washington D . C . Over 550 dentists and state dental leaders were in attendance to advocate for issues important to the dental profession . ADA President Robert Faiella urged attendees to tell their stories when visiting legislators and staff members because , “ you are not only messengers , you are the source of knowledge and experience . You know the issues because you live them every day .”
In attendance representing Pennsylvania were :
Dr . Lisa Deem ( 2 ) Dr . Robert Delie ( 2 ) Dr . Bernie Dishler ( 2 ) Dr . Edmund Effort ( 10 ) Dr . Andrew Kwasny ( 9 ) Dr . John Reitz ( 4 ) Dr . Charles Weber ( 2 ) Dr . Jay Wells ( 10 )
The main issues addressed by attendees during their visits to Capitol Hill were coordination of benefits , repeal of the medical device excise tax , competitive health insurance reform and coordination of pro bono medically recommended dental care . Throughout the conference , attendees heard from numerous speakers who provided grassroots education and political training .
Attendees were also introduced to ADA ’ s launch of Action for Dental Health , a nationwide campaign that aims to reduce the numbers of adults and children with untreated dental disease through education , prevention and providing treatment to those in need of care . Action for Dental Health offers a number of direct solutions for providing access to underserved populations across the United States .
To learn more about ADA ’ s Action for Dental Health Campaign , visit www . ada . org / action .
The WLC is open to all members and is usually held in early May . The ADA and PDA will assist with some of the costs to attend . Whether you are already involved in the political process or you are just getting acclimated , the WLC is a great place to educate yourself on national issues affecting the dental profession . Contact PDA ’ s government relations staff at ( 800 ) 223-0016 , for more information and to sign up for the 2014 Washington Leadership Conference .
State Board of Dentistry Update
Thanks to your membership , PDA is able to monitor and influence State Board of Dentistry ( SBOD ) regulations as they are written and moving through the regulatory process .
Under the leadership of newly-elected chair , Dr . Lisa Deem , the SBOD is placing emphasis on updating current regulations and finalizing proposed regulations and policy statements that have been “ in the pipeline ” for some time . Below is a recap of where the SBOD stands on regulatory issues :
Licensure , Certification and Permit Fee Regulations
In order to avoid a deficit budget in 2013 / 14 , the SBOD is proposing increases to licensure , certification and permit fees for all initial applicants and renewals .
The proposed new biennial renewal and application fees ( as follows ) will enable the SBOD to avoid projected deficits and meet its estimated expenditures .
• Initial licensure for dentists : $ 200 ( from $ 20 )
• Initial licensure for hygienists : $ 75 ( from $ 20 )
• Initial certification for EFDAs : $ 75 ( from $ 20 )
• Initial application for dental radiology : $ 75 ( from $ 20 )
• Biennial renewal fee for dentists : $ 263 ( from $ 250 )
• Biennial renewal fee for hygienists : $ 42 from $ 40 )
• Biennial renewal fee for EFDAs : $ 26 ( from $ 25 )
• Biennial renewal fee for public health dental hygienists : $ 42 ( from $ 40 )
• Biennial renewal fee for hygiene local anesthesia permits : $ 42 ( from $ 40 )
• Unrestricted permit fee : $ 210 ( from $ 200 )
• Restricted I permit fee : $ 210 ( from $ 200 )
• Restricted II permit fee : $ 53 ( from $ 50 )
Over the summer , the House Professional Licensure Committee and the Independent Regulatory Review Commission ( IRRC ) requested more information concerning the SBOD ’ s operational costs in order to justify the fee increases . The SBOD submitted a detailed financial report to these entities for review . PDA expects that the proposed rulemaking will be enacted in late 2013 or early 2014 .
Dental Practice Ownership / Mobile Dentistry Regulations
In 2011 , the SBOD formed a committee to review and study issues related to practice ownership , including lay control of a dental practice , responsibility for maintenance of patient records and ownership of mobile dental units . The SBOD ’ s concern is whether non-dental professionals are exercising any control over patient treatment decisions because they own a dental practice or mobile unit . The SBOD also is questioning whether there are sufficient regulations in place governing the control of patient records when patients are treated in multiple locations by a number of providers .
PDA ’ s position on potential regulations is based on its House of Delegates policy stating that “… the health interests of patients are best protected when dental practices and other private facilities for the delivery of dental care are owned and controlled by dentists licensed in Pennsylvania .” PDA firmly believes that mobile dental units should not replace existing dental homes and that private units should be owned by a licensed dentist and public units should employ a licensed dentist as its dental director . PDA also believes that the owner of a practice or mobile unit should maintain patient records according to current regulations , even if the individual is not a licensed dentist .
As of now , the SBOD ’ s Practice
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