WSR 16-16-031

PREPROPOSAL STATEMENT OF INQUIRY

[Filed July 25, 2016, 9:38 a.m.]

Subject of Possible Rule Making: WAC 246-817-440 Dentist continuing education requirements, the dental quality assurance commission (commission) is considering amending the rule to update and clarify continuing education (CE) requirements when dentists renew their license.

Statutes Authorizing the Agency to Adopt Rules on this Subject: RCW 18.32.002, 18.32.0357, 18.32.0365, and 18.32.180.

Reasons Why Rules on this Subject may be Needed and What They Might Accomplish: The commission routinely receives questions related to acceptable CE. Additionally, the commission received a request from Washington State Dental Association in March 2015 requesting the commission require jurisprudence and ethics hours as a required subject of CE. Amendments would clarify appropriate CE subject matter, minimum/maximum number of hours in specified subject matter, methods to obtain CE including web-based options, determine if hours in ethics will be mandatory, consider continued competency mechanisms, and standard housekeeping.

Other Federal and State Agencies that Regulate this Subject and the Process Coordinating the Rule with These Agencies: None.

Process for Developing New Rule: Collaborative rule making.

Interested parties can participate in the decision to adopt the new rule and formulation of the proposed rule before publication by contacting Jennifer Santiago, Department of Health, Dental Quality Assurance Commission, P.O. Box 47852, Olympia, WA 98504-7852, phone (360) 236-4893, fax (360) 236-2901. Interested stakeholders may sign up for the dental commission's listserv at http://listserv.wa.gov/cgi-bin/wa?SUBED1=dental-qac&A=1. Notices will be e-mailed through the commission's listserv to its interested parties list. Stakeholders will be invited to participate in open public commission meetings and committee meetings where rule drafting will occur.

July 25, 2016

Trina Castle

Executive Director