WSR 04-07-142

EXPEDITED RULES

DEPARTMENT OF

SOCIAL AND HEALTH SERVICES
(Medical Assistance Administration)

[ Filed March 22, 2004, 4:29 p.m. ]

     Title of Rule: WAC 388-535-1050 Dental-related definitions and 388-535-1065 Coverage limits for dental-related services provided under state-only funded programs.

     Purpose: To correct an acronym "TMD" in WAC 388-535-1050 and change the word "examinations" to "examination" in WAC 388-535-1065 (2)(a).

     Statutory Authority for Adoption: RCW 74.04.050 and 74.04.057.

     Statute Being Implemented: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.057, and 74.09.530.

     Summary: The rule corrects two typographical errors that were not corrected when the rules were amended in September 2003 as WSR 03-19-077. Expedited adoption is permitted, for rule corrections do not change the effect of the rule, RCW 34.05.353 (1)(c).

     Reasons Supporting Proposal: The corrections will make the rules clearer.

     Name of Agency Personnel Responsible for Drafting: Kathy Sayre, P.O. Box 45533, Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 725-1342; Implementation and Enforcement: Gini Egan, P.O. Box 45506, Olympia, WA 98504, (360) 725-1580.

     Name of Proponent: Department of Social and Health Services, governmental.

     Rule is not necessitated by federal law, federal or state court decision.

     Explanation of Rule, its Purpose, and Anticipated Effects: See Purpose, Summary, and Reasons Supporting Proposal above.

     Proposal Changes the Following Existing Rules: See Purpose, Summary, and Reasons Supporting Proposal above.

NOTICE

     THIS RULE IS BEING PROPOSED UNDER AN EXPEDITED RULE-MAKING PROCESS THAT WILL ELIMINATE THE NEED FOR THE AGENCY TO HOLD PUBLIC HEARINGS, PREPARE A SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC IMPACT STATEMENT, OR PROVIDE RESPONSES TO THE CRITERIA FOR A SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATIVE RULE. IF YOU OBJECT TO THE USE OF THE EXPEDITED RULE-MAKING PROCESS, YOU MUST EXPRESS YOUR OBJECTIONS IN WRITING AND THEY MUST BE SENT TO Rules Coordinator, Rules and Policies Assistance Unit, Department of Social and Health Services, Mailing Address P.O. Box 45850, Olympia, WA 98504-5850, Physical Address 4500 10th Avenue S.E., Lacey, WA , AND RECEIVED BY 5:00 p.m., May 24, 2004.


March 19, 2004

Brian H. Lindgren, Manager

Rules and Policies Assistance Unit

3334.1
AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 03-19-077, filed 9/12/03, effective 10/13/03)

WAC 388-535-1050   Dental-related definitions.   The following definitions and abbreviations and those found in WAC 388-500-0005 apply to this chapter. The medical assistance administration (MAA) also uses dental definitions found in the American Dental Association's Current Dental Terminology (CDT) and the American Medical Association's Physician's Current Procedural Terminology (CPT). Where there is any discrepancy between the CDT or CPT and this section, this section prevails. (CPT is a trademark of the American Medical Association.)

     "Access to baby and child dentistry (ABCD)" is a program to increase access to dental services in targeted areas for Medicaid eligible infants, toddlers, and preschoolers up through the age of five. See WAC 388-535-1300 for specific information.

     "American Dental Association (ADA)" is a national organization for dental professionals and dental societies.

     "Adult" for the general purposes of the medical assistance administration's (MAA) dental program, means a client twenty-one years of age or older (MAA's payment structure changes at age nineteen, which affects specific program services provided to adults or children).

     "Anterior" means teeth and tissue in the front of the mouth.

     (1) "Mandibular anterior teeth" - incisors and canines: Permanent teeth twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six, and twenty-seven; and primary teeth M, N, O, P, Q, and R.

     (2) "Maxillary anterior teeth" - incisors and canines: Permanent teeth six, seven, eight, nine, ten, and eleven; and primary teeth C, D, E, G, and H.

     "Asymptomatic" means having or producing no symptoms.

     "Base metal" means dental alloy containing little or no precious metals.

     "Behavior management" means using the assistance of one additional dental professional staff to manage the behavior of a developmentally disabled client or a client age eighteen or younger to facilitate the delivery of dental treatment.

     "By report" - a method of reimbursement in which MAA determines the amount it will pay for a service when the rate for that service is not included in MAA's published fee schedules. Upon request the provider must submit a "report" which describes the nature, extent, time, effort and/or equipment necessary to deliver the service.

     "Caries" means tooth decay through the enamel or decay of the root surface.

     "Child" for the general purposes of the medical assistance administration's (MAA) dental program, means a client twenty years of age or younger. (MAA's payment structure changes at age nineteen, which affects specific program services provided to children or adults.)

     "Comprehensive oral evaluation" means a thorough evaluation and recording of a client's dental and medical history to include extra-oral and intra-oral hard and soft tissues, dental caries, missing or unerupted teeth, restorations, occlusal relationships, periodontal conditions (including periodontal charting), hard and soft tissue anomalies, and oral cancer screening.

     "Conscious sedation" is a drug-induced depression of consciousness during which clients respond purposefully to verbal commands, either alone or accompanied by light tactile stimulation. No interventions are required to maintain a patent airway, spontaneous ventilation is adequate, and cardiovascular function is maintained.

     "Core buildup" refers to building up of clinical crowns, including pins.

     "Coronal" is the portion of a tooth that is covered by enamel, and is separated from the root or roots by a slightly constricted region, known as the cemento-enamel junction.

     "Coronal polishing" is a procedure limited to the removal of plaque and stain from exposed tooth surfaces.

     "Crown" means a restoration covering or replacing the major part, or the whole of, the clinical crown of a tooth.

     "Current dental terminology (CDT)" a systematic listing of descriptive terms and identifying codes for reporting dental services and procedures performed by dental practitioners. CDT is published by the Council on Dental Benefit Programs of the American Dental Association (ADA).

     "Current procedural terminology (CPT)" means a description of medical procedures and is available from the American Medical Association of Chicago, Illinois.

     "Decay" is a term for caries or carious lesions and means decomposition of tooth structure.

     "Deep sedation" is a drug-induced depression of consciousness during which a client cannot be easily aroused, ventilatory function may be impaired, but the client responds to repeated or painful stimulation.

     "Dental general anesthesia" see "general anesthesia."

     "Dentures" means an artificial replacement for natural teeth and adjacent tissues, and includes complete dentures, immediate dentures, overdentures, and partial dentures.

     "Endodontic" means disease and injuries to the pulp requiring root canal therapy and related follow-up.

     "EPSDT" means the department's early and periodic screening, diagnosis, and treatment program for clients twenty years of age and younger as described in chapter 388-534 WAC.

     "Extraction" see "simple extraction" and "surgical extraction."

     "Flowable composite resin" is a low viscosity resin that is used in cervical lesions and other small, low stress bearing restorations.

     "Fluoride varnish or gel" means a substance containing dental fluoride, applied to teeth.

     "General anesthesia" is a drug-induced loss of consciousness during which clients are not arousable even by painful stimulation. The ability to independently maintain ventilatory function is often impaired. Clients may require assistance in maintaining a patent airway, and positive pressure ventilation may be required because of depressed spontaneous ventilation or drug-induced depression of neuromuscular function. Cardiovascular function may be impaired.

     "High noble metal" means a dental alloy containing at least sixty percent pure gold.

     "Limited oral evaluation" means an evaluation limited to a specific oral health condition or problem. Typically a client receiving this type of evaluation has a dental emergency, such as trauma or acute infection.

     "Limited visual oral assessment" means a screening of the hard and soft tissues in the mouth.

     "Major bone grafts" means a transplant of solid bone tissue(s).

     "Medically necessary" see WAC 388-500-0005.

     "Minor bone grafts" means a transplant of nonsolid bone tissue(s), such as powdered bone, buttons, or plugs.

     "Noble metal" means a dental alloy containing at least twenty-five percent but less than sixty percent pure gold.

     "Oral evaluation" see "comprehensive oral evaluation."

     "Oral hygiene instruction" means instruction for home oral hygiene care, such as tooth brushing techniques or flossing.

     "Oral prophylaxis" means the preventive dental procedure of scaling and polishing which includes removal of calculus, soft deposits, plaque, and stains from teeth and tooth implants.

     "Partials" or "partial dentures" means a removable appliance replacing one or more missing teeth in one arch, and receiving its support and retention from both the underlying tissues and some or all of the remaining teeth.

     "Periodic oral evaluation" means an evaluation performed on a patient of record to determine any changes in the client's dental or medical status since a previous comprehensive or periodic evaluation. This includes a periodontal charting at least once per year.

     "Periodontal maintenance" means a procedure for clients who have previously been treated for periodontal disease and starts after completion of active (surgical or nonsurgical) periodontal therapy. It includes removal of the supra and subgingival microbial flora and calculus from teeth and tooth implants.

     "Periodontal scaling and root planing" means instrumentation of the crown and root surfaces of the teeth or tooth implants to remove plaque, calculus, microbial flora, and bacterial toxins.

     "Posterior" means teeth and tissue towards the back of the mouth.

     (1) "Mandibular posterior teeth" - molars and premolars: Permanent teeth seventeen, eighteen, nineteen, twenty, twenty-one, twenty-eight, twenty-nine, thirty, thirty-one, and thirty-two; and primary teeth K, L, S, and T.

     (2) "Maxillary posterior teeth" - molars and premolars: Permanent teeth one, two, three, four, five, twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen, and sixteen; and primary teeth A, B, I, and J.

     "Proximal" means the surface of the tooth near or next to the adjacent tooth.

     "Reline" means to resurface the tissue side of a denture with new base material or soft tissue conditioner in order to achieve a more accurate fit.

     "Root canal" is a portion of the pulp cavity inside the root of a tooth and the chamber within the root of the tooth that contains the pulp.

     "Root canal therapy" is the treatment of disease and injuries of the pulp and associated periradicular conditions.

     "Root planing" is a procedure to remove microbial flora, bacterial toxins, calculus, and diseased cementum or dentin on the root surfaces and pockets, including tooth implants.

     "Scaling" is a procedure to remove plaque, calculus, and stain deposits from tooth surfaces, including tooth implants.

     "Sealant" is a material applied to teeth to prevent dental caries.

     "Simple extraction" means routine removal of tooth structure.

     "Standard of care" means what reasonable and prudent practitioners would do in the same or similar circumstances.

     "Surgical extraction" means removal of tooth structure with cutting of gingiva and bone, including soft tissue extractions, partial boney extractions, and complete boney extractions.

     "Symptomatic" means having symptoms (e.g., pain, swelling, and infection).

     "Tempormandibular joint dysfunction (TMJ/((JMD))TMD)" means an abnormal functioning of the tempormandibular joint or other areas secondary to the dysfunction.

     "Therapeutic pulpotomy" means the surgical removal of a portion of the pulp (inner soft tissue of a tooth), to retain the healthy remaining pulp.

     "Usual and customary" means the fee that the provider usually charges non-Medicaid customers for the same service or item. This is the maximum amount that the provider may bill MAA.

     "Wisdom teeth" means teeth one, sixteen, seventeen, and thirty-two.

     "Xerostomia" means a dryness of the mouth.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.057, 74.08.090, 74.09.530, 2003 1st sp.s. c 25, P.L. 104-191. 03-19-077, § 388-535-1050, filed 9/12/03, effective 10/13/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.035, 74.09.500, 74.09.520, 42 U.S.C. 1396d(a), 42 C.F.R. 440.100 and 440.225. 02-13-074, § 388-535-1050, filed 6/14/02, effective 7/15/02. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090. 01-02-076, § 388-535-1050, filed 12/29/00, effective 1/29/01. Statutory Authority: RCW 74.08.090, 74.09.035, 74.09.520 and 74.09.700, 42 USC 1396d(a), CFR 440.100 and 440.225. 99-07-023, § 388-535-1050, filed 3/10/99, effective 4/10/99. Statutory Authority: Initiative 607, 1995 c 18 2nd sp.s. and 74.08.090. 96-01-006 (Order 3931), § 388-535-1050, filed 12/6/95, effective 1/6/96.]


AMENDATORY SECTION(Amending WSR 03-19-077, filed 9/12/03, effective 10/13/03)

WAC 388-535-1065   Coverage limits for dental-related services provided under state-only funded programs.   (1) Clients who receive medical care services under the following state-funded only programs receive only the limited coverage described in subsection (2) of this section:

     (a) General assistance unemployable (GA-U); and

     (b) Alcohol and drug abuse treatment and support act (ADATSA) (GA-W).

     (2) The medical assistance administration (MAA) covers the dental-related services described and limited in this chapter for clients eligible for GA-U or GA-W only when those services are provided as part of a medical treatment for:

     (a) Apical abscess verified by clinical ((examinations)) examination and radiograph(s), and treated by:

     (i) Palliative treatment (e.g., open and drain, open and broach);

     (ii) Tooth extraction; or

     (iii) Root canal therapy for permanent anterior teeth only.

     (b) Tooth fractures (limited to extraction).

     (c) Total dental extraction prior to and because of radiation therapy for cancer of the mouth.

[Statutory Authority: RCW 74.04.050, 74.04.057, 74.08.090, 74.09.530, 2003 1st sp.s. c 25, P.L. 104-191. 03-19-077, § 388-535-1065, filed 9/12/03, effective 10/13/03.]

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