Council on Government

Summary of DEB meeting November 2, 2011

2012 DEB Appointments

Bernie Mattsson - Bureau/Executive Director

Lyndsay Knoell, DDS - Chair

John Grignon, DDS -  Vice-chair

Linda Bohacek, RDH -  Secretary (Her extended term is up in May)

Mark Braden, DDS replaced Blaine Christman

There are still no public members on this current board.

Department of Regulations and Licensing is now called the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

Meeting date changes January 4th and March 7 are corrections to the calendar that the DEB originally sent out.

Nan Kosydar Dreves, RDH, MA gave presentation on ADEX. ADEX develops clinical board exams they do not administer them

Licensure by endorsement was clarified as long as you have passed a board exam and follow the procedures for licensure by endorsement it no longer matters when you took the exam.  This pertains to out of state individuals who would like to apply for licensure in this manner.

Dental hygiene students would be considered volunteers under our current statutes and for them to apply varnishes without the direct supervision of a DDS a medical prescription would need to be obtained. This means a prescription written (standing order) by a medical public health physician would be appropriate for them to apply fluoride varnish as the current law is written and interpreted.

Sleep Apnea treatment is a team approach. Therefore, prescription by a physician and subsequent follow up by an MD is necessary. The full information necessary for the board to make a definitive decision was not obtained - A work group was formed to provide a general statement for the DEB meeting in January.

Laser use by RDH - Mark Braden was added to the Laser work group team to provide additional insight into the use of Lasers by RDH's his feelings are that RDH's should be allowed to use and that it is not necessary to have direct supervision during its use.  The Laser work group will have further discussions and report back to the DEB in January.

Teeth whitening - An individual filed a Federal Trade Commission class action suit in North Carolina about the administration and use of whitening by a non licensed individual (i.e., an employee of a spa, mall, etc.) stating their constitutional rights have been violated and that they should be allowed to distribute whitening even though they are not a licensed dental professional.

Oral discussions took place on this federal suit October 28th. The DEB will follow this action closely and develop working to add to the dentistry scope of practice so if complaints would come into our state we have a statement to follow regarding this matter.

DH Scope of Practice the DEB dissolved the subcommittee agreeing to still consider the two items that were all ready considered in the past they are:

1. Amend 447.01(3)(d) Eliminating the word "preliminary" before examination and inserting the words      "and presentation to a patient".

2. Amend 447.06 (2) (a)  Striking "only" after procedures and inserting "a volunteer" prior to "an employee" and striking "only as follows" after "independent contractor"

Respectfully submitted by,

Sharri Crowe

WDHA President

Legislative Report January 2011
Debbie Schumacher, RDH Chair, Council on Government

The Wisconsin Dental Hygienist Association (WI-DHA) has been represented in three areas that have the potential to impact the profession of dental hygiene.  Read on to learn about the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute Project, Legislative Council of Health Care Access testimony and a report on the January 5, 2011 Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board meeting.

Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute: Community Teams Program is a project sponsored by the Medical College of Wisconsin and University of WI School of Medicine and Public Health.  Each year, groups write applications for the chance to work through the Institute to develop solutions to health issues within their community.  A group of hygienists representing both WI-DHA and the Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) applied to the Institute to address improving access to dental services for the residents of Wisconsin.  The team members are: Matt Crespin, Lisa Bell, Linda Bohacek, Maureen Oostdik, Debi Chase, Nancy McKenney, Nancy Rublee, and Debbie Schumacher.  At a recent meeting the team developed a goal statement.  It reads “Increase access to dental services and decrease oral disease in WI by establishing an advanced dental hygienist provider”. The team program formally runs until June. After that time, the group will continue to work independently.  At the next meeting in February, the group will review a “straw man” model of what an advanced DHP in WI would look like.  The MN and Alaska models will be used for guidance. From there, collaborative partners will be identified and asked to weigh in and provide guidance as the model is developed. 

In early 2010 a Special Legislative Committee on Health Care Access was developed.  The Chair of this committee is Senator Luther Olsen and the Vice Chair is Representative Frederick Kessler.  The legislative staff and members of the committee can be found at: http://legis.wisconsin.gov/lc/committees/study/2010/ACCESS/index.html
The Special Committee was directed to study potential solutions to the shortage of health care providers, particularly in rural areas and inner cities, and the adequacy of funding for public health. The Special Committee was directed to study possible state assistance to underserved areas and an expansion of Wisconsin’s capacity for training family practice physicians and nurses, and additional funding sources for public health. 
Due to the relationship between oral and systemic health, the WI-DHA submitted testimony asking the committee to consider these requests as possible solutions to oral/overall healthcare barriers:
-The removal of setting restrictions for dental hygienists
-Creation of career ladder opportunities through WI educational system/development of the ADHP
-Improved Medicaid billing for dental hygienists
-Self-regulation
At this time, the committee is focusing on medical healthcare solutions. 

The January 5, 2011 Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board Meeting was called to order and the first order of business was for the board to meet David Ross, the new Secretary of the Department of Regulation and Licensing. Prior to this position, Mr. Ross was the Mayor of Superior.  The next order of business was elections of new officers for the Dentistry Examining Board.  The results:
Chair: Blaine Christman
Vice Chair: Lindsay Knoell
Secretary: Linda Bohacek

The board discussed the use of Botox and Dermal fillers by dentists.  Discussed was the expectation that the dentist will get the proper training and assume the responsibility for the outcome of such procedures but the board has requested more information regarding this topic before making a final statement.

The board approved a scope statement which supports the use of Lasers by dental hygienists for the treatment of periodontal disease.  Next, the board will need to determine what the educational and certification requirements will be.

The definition of dental hygiene will go back to the subcommittee for more work.  The legal counsel created a draft putting the recommendations from the subcommittee into statutory language.  The subcommittee which will now be lead by Dr. Knoell will review the document and recommend changes. 

Victoria Friemark-Nelson RDH from the Green Bay area received endorsement from the WDEB to apply to become a CRDTS examiner.

The state of Wisconsin accepts NERB results for licensure application and this month, NERB will formally acknowledge Wisconsin for this.

With the goal of one national exam for licensure, Dr. Bruce Barrette made a presentation on behalf of the ADEX exam and encouraged the state of Wisconsin to endorse it.

Discussions will take place at future WDEB meetings on the treatment of sleep apnea by dental professionals.

On a final note, the WI-DHA Lobby Day is scheduled for Wednesday, March 30th at the Capitol in Madison.  Come and join other hygienist in a fun environment as we share information about what dental hygienists do and can do with our states legislators! 

As issues that impact the profession of dental hygiene arise WI-DHA will continue to keep you informed. 

POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE

We have all heard the phrase “money talks”.  Personally, it may impact whether we accept a job or not, whether we purchase one flat screen TV vs. another, and so on.  Money also talks when we want to make our presence known. 

With that in mind, the campaign season is upon us. Without a doubt, running a campaign can be very costly.  Individuals seeking legislative offices rely on the support of constituents to help with funding.  So how does this affect you/us? As an individual or as an association, providing financial support is a way to be involved in the legislative process. The profession of dental hygiene is changing.  Some of the changes require changes to laws that govern our work and those changes can only come via the support of the legislators. One example is expanding the settings in which we can practice dental hygiene.  In order for us to be able to make changes, we will need the support of legislators.  So now is the time for action and to make our money talk.  You can do that by making a contribution to the WDHA Political Action Committee fund. 

Your contribution allows WDHA to:
Increase respect and recognition of dental hygienists.
Increase legislator’s awareness of dental hygiene as a                     profession and as contributors toward total health.
Participate collectively in the legislative arena.
Support the legislators that support dental hygiene.

No amount is too small!!  And no time is better than now.  Please send your checks made out to:
WI-HY-PAC
Send to: WDHA PAC
c/o Deb Schumacher 
4626 Clover Drive 
Eau Claire, WI 54701