BILL REQ. #:  S-4300.1 

Read first time 01/15/08.   Referred to Committee on Health & Long-Term Care.

     AN ACT Relating to dental care delivery; and creating a new section.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION.  Sec. 1   (1) The health care authority and the department of social and health services shall, by September 1, 2008, develop a five-year plan to change the way dental care is delivered and reimbursed within their health care programs to:
     (a) Reward quality dental outcomes rather than simply paying for the receipt of particular services or procedures;
     (b) Pay for care that reflects patient preference and is of proven value;
     (c) Require the use of evidence-based standards of care where available;
     (d) Tie provider rate increases to measurable improvements in access to quality care;
     (e) Direct enrollees to quality care systems; and
     (f) Better support primary prevention and provide a dental care provider to all enrollees through reimbursement policies that create incentives for enrollees to enter and remain in a dental practice.
     (2) In developing any component of the plan that links payment to dental care provider performance, the authority and the department shall work in collaboration with the department of health, dental carriers, local public health jurisdictions, dentists and other health care providers, the Puget Sound health alliance, and other purchasers.
     (3) The plan shall (a) identify any existing barriers and opportunities to support implementation, including needed changes to state or federal law; (b) identify the goals the plan is intended to achieve and how progress toward goals will be measured; and (c) be submitted to the governor and the legislature upon completion. The health care authority and the department of social and health services shall report to the legislature by September 1, 2008. Any component of the plan that links payment to dental care provider performance must be submitted to the legislature for consideration prior to implementation by the health care authority or the department of social and health services.