Collaborative Practice: Increasing Dental Hygiene Access to Care!
Support Senate Bill SB 2597 and House Bill HB 4467
Click on the Links Below to read the entire Bills
SB2597
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/97/SB/09700SB2957.htm
HB4467
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/97/HB/09700HB4467.htm
What is Collaborative Practice?
Dental hygiene collaborative practice is a form of direct access to services allowing a registered dental hygienist to enter into a “collaborative agreement” with a dentist to assess, provide preventive oral health services and treatments, and evaluate patients without the prior in-person examination by the dentist utilizing remote supervision.
Dental hygiene collaborative practice began in New Mexico in 1999, inspired by the nursing model of collaborative practice and currently exists in many other states under a variety of names.
The basic element of collaborative practice is a written agreement of between the dental hygienist and a dentist that typically includes the following:
•The protocols governing the circumstances under which the hygienist can initiate treatment and services provided
•Establishing a dental home for each individual treated
•A voluntary written agreement between a dentist and dental hygienist (not mandatory for either dentists or hygienists)
•The responsibilities of the dental hygienist with reporting information to the dentist and referral procedures
•The responsibilities of the collaborating dentist concerning consultation with the hygienist and follow-up care available
Elements of Collaborative Practice
•Collaborative Practice is a means to reducing access to care barriers by allowing direct access to dental hygiene preventive services in IL without a prior in-person examination by a dentist
•Serves as another point of entry into the dental family
•Refers individuals receiving preventive services to a dental home if they currently do not have a dentist of record
Senate Bill 2597 and House Bill 4467:
•Increases the public’s direct access to oral health care services by a registered (licensed) dental hygienist (RDH) in settings already allowed in the statute, such as school-based programs; institutions, long term care facilities;
•Collaborative agreements require dental hygienist establish a dental home with a licensed dentist for every individual for an annual examination and/or dental care;
•This bill is NOT unsupervised practice, and relies upon the remote supervision of the collaborating dentist;
•Eliminates the need for the currently mandated prior in-person examination by a dentist before receiving preventive oral health services (such as having your teeth cleaned, fluoride treatments, or dental sealants applied), and requires a dental examination referral one time per year to a licensed dentist;
•Allows dental hygienists to register as Medicaid, Medicare, and 3rd party payer providers to help reduce the very severe shortage of Medicaid oral health care providers in Illinois;
•Allows for voluntary “collaborative practice" agreements between dentists and dental hygienists. Dentists are not mandated to participate.
•This bill does not expand the current scope of practice of dental hygienists or increase the settings already allowed under the current statute.
Similar successful state models exist in New Mexico, Minnesota, Arkansas, Arizona, Kansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, and Missouri, just to name a few. Those states agree collaboration between a dental hygienist and dentist improves and increases access to receiving oral health care services, especially for the populations currently not already receiving routine care through the private dental office. This helps reduce overall health care costs by having the dental hygienist provide preventive services and guiding patients into dentist's offices earlier,
Significant barriers currently exist to providing oral health preventive services in Illinois. The dental hygienist is the licensed oral health care professional who is part of the solution, especially where a dentist may not already be available. Every citizen deserves to receive preventive oral health care services!
Please go onto www.idha.net for more information, and to register for Lobby Day March, 2012 in Springfield, Illinois.
