Dental Care Legislation Gets Assembly Nod Of Support - Health Committee Gives Unanimous Approval To Senator Aanestad's SB 238 - California

Main Category: Dentistry
Article Date: 22 Jun 2007 - 1:00 PDT

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The Assembly Health Committee approved legislation authored by Senator Sam Aanestad (R-Grass Valley) during hearings today, which will improve access to quality dental care in California. SB 238 will give federally qualified health centers the ability to bill for the services provided by dental hygienists. The proposed change in Senator Aanestad's legislation will benefit Federally Qualified Health Clinics (FQHC's) and Regional Health Centers (RHC's), many of which are located in rural areas that lack quality dental care services.

"I'd like to thank my colleagues in the State Assembly for recognizing that all of rural California suffers from an acute shortage of qualified dentists," said Senator Aanestad. "SB 238 will allow hygienists to focus on the mission of preventive care, which will help alleviate the long-term and more serious dental problems that develop when this type of care is delayed."

Current California law contains a list of providers for which FQHCs and RHCs may bill for services. Dental hygienists are not on this list. While hygienists may provide care under the general supervision of a dentist in a number of settings, including private dental practices, because dental hygienists are not on the recognized list of providers, FQHCs and RHCs are unable to bill Medi-Cal for hygiene services unless a dentist is directly involved in the visit.

This requirement forces dentists to spend more time on paperwork, which reduces the amount of time the dentist can spending on the task of providing much-needed restorative care.

"As a licensed Oral Surgeon, I understand the critical role that dental hygienists play when it comes to the mission of preventative care," said Senator Aanestad. "By adding dental hygienists to the list of providers for whom FQHCs and RHCs may bill for visits, dentists will have more time to see additional patients and provide the services those rural patients so desperately need."

FQHCs and RHCs share a commitment to provide comprehensive, quality health care services, including preventive and restorative oral health care, to low-income, uninsured and underserved Californians, who might otherwise not have access to health care. The geographic areas served by these clinics are marked by significant dental workforce shortages.

SB 238 is co-sponsored by the California Primary Care Association, the California Dental Association and the California Dental Hygienists Association.

http://www.sen.ca.gov/aanestad

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