SHB 1309 -
By Committee on Health & Long-Term Care
ADOPTED AS AMENDED 04/13/2009
Strike everything after the enacting clause and insert the following:
"Sec. 1 RCW 18.29.056 and 2007 c 270 s 1 are each amended to read
as follows:
(1)(a) Subject to RCW 18.29.230 and (((c))) (e) of this subsection,
dental hygienists licensed under this chapter with two years' practical
clinical experience with a licensed dentist within the preceding five
years may be employed ((or)), retained, or contracted by health care
facilities and senior centers to perform authorized dental hygiene
operations and services without dental supervision((,)).
(b) Subject to RCW 18.29.230 and (e) of this subsection, dental
hygienists licensed under this chapter with two years' practical
clinical experience with a licensed dentist within the preceding five
years may perform authorized dental hygiene operations and services
without dental supervision under a lease agreement with a health care
facility or senior center.
(c) Dental hygienists performing operations and services under (a)
or (b) of this subsection are limited to removal of deposits and stains
from the surfaces of the teeth, application of topical preventive or
prophylactic agents, polishing and smoothing restorations, and
performance of root planing and soft-tissue curettage, but shall not
perform injections of anesthetic agents, administration of nitrous
oxide, or diagnosis for dental treatment.
(((b))) (d) The performance of dental hygiene operations and
services in health care facilities shall be limited to patients,
students, and residents of the facilities.
(((c))) (e) A dental hygienist employed ((or)), retained, or
contracted to perform services under this section or otherwise
performing services under a lease agreement under this section in a
senior center must, before providing services:
(i) Enter into a written practice arrangement plan, approved by the
department, with a dentist licensed in this state, under which the
dentist will provide off-site supervision of the dental services
provided. This agreement does not create an obligation for the dentist
to accept referrals of patients receiving services under the program;
(ii) Collect data on the patients treated by dental hygienists
under the program, including age, treatments rendered, insurance
coverage, if any, and patient referral to dentists. This data must be
submitted to the department of health at the end of each annual
quarter, ((commencing)) during the period of time between October 1,
2007, and October 1, 2013; and
(iii) Obtain information from the patient's primary health care
provider about any health conditions of the patient that would be
relevant to the provision of preventive dental care. The information
may be obtained by the dental hygienist's direct contact with the
provider or through a written document from the provider that the
patient presents to the dental hygienist.
(((d))) (f) For dental planning and dental treatment, dental
hygienists shall refer patients to licensed dentists.
(2) For the purposes of this section:
(a) "Health care facilities" are limited to hospitals; nursing
homes; home health agencies; group homes serving the elderly,
individuals with disabilities, and juveniles; state-operated
institutions under the jurisdiction of the department of social and
health services or the department of corrections; and federal, state,
and local public health facilities, state or federally funded community
and migrant health centers, and tribal clinics. ((Until July 1, 2009,
"health care facilities" also include senior centers.))
(b) "Senior center" means a multipurpose community facility
operated and maintained by a nonprofit organization or local government
for the organization and provision of a ((broad spectrum of))
combination of some of the following: Health, social, nutritional,
((and)) educational services, and recreational activities for persons
sixty years of age or older.
Sec. 2 RCW 18.29.220 and 2007 c 270 s 2 are each amended to read
as follows:
For low-income, rural, and other at-risk populations and in
coordination with local public health jurisdictions and local oral
health coalitions, a dental hygienist licensed in this state may assess
for and apply sealants and apply fluoride varnishes, and may remove
deposits and stains from the surfaces of teeth ((until July 1, 2009,))
in community-based sealant programs carried out in schools:
(1) Without attending the department's school sealant endorsement
program if the dental hygienist was licensed as of April 19, 2001; or
(2) If the dental hygienist is school sealant endorsed under RCW
43.70.650.
A hygienist providing services under this section must collect data
on patients treated, including age, treatment rendered, methods of
reimbursement for treatment, evidence of coordination with local public
health jurisdictions and local oral health coalitions, and patient
referrals to dentists. ((These [This])) This data must be submitted to
the department of health at the end of each annual quarter,
((commencing)) during the period of time between October 1, 2007, and
October 1, 2013.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3 The secretary of health, in consultation
with representatives of dental hygienists and dentists, shall provide
a report to the appropriate committees of the legislature by December
1, 2013, that provides a summary of the information about patients
receiving dental hygiene services in senior centers that is collected
under RCW 18.29.056(1)(e)(ii), and in community-based sealant programs
carried out in schools under RCW 18.29.220. This report must also
include the following:
(1) For patients receiving scaling and root planning in senior
center practices, an evaluation of the patient's need for pain control;
(2) For community-based sealant programs in schools, the number of
sealants applied; the teeth cleaning method selected for the patient;
whether the patient was reevaluated at a recall appointment; and the
need for reapplication of the sealant at the recall appointment; and
(3) For patients receiving treatment in either the senior center
practices or the community-based sealant programs in schools, the
number of referred patients that are seen by a dentist; the lessons
learned from these practices; and any unintended consequences or
outcomes."
SHB 1309 -
By Committee on Health & Long-Term Care
ADOPTED AS AMENDED 04/13/2009
On page 1, line 1 of the title, after "hygiene;" strike the remainder of the title and insert "amending RCW 18.29.056 and 18.29.220; and creating a new section."