DENTAL THERAPISTS: LICENSURE S.B. 541:
SUMMARY OF BILL
REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE
Senate Bill 541 (as reported without amendment)
CONTENT
The bill would amend Part 166 (Dentistry) of the Public Health Code to do the following:
-- Establish the qualifications for dental therapist licensure, including education, examination, and completion of a supervised clinical practice requirement.
-- Establish a continuing education requirement for renewal of a dental therapist license.
-- Prescribe the scope of practice of a dental therapist.
-- Prescribe the health settings in which a dental therapist could practice.
-- Allow a dental therapist to practice only under a written practice agreement with a supervising dentist, and prescribe the elements that an agreement would have to address.
-- Specify that a dental therapist who provided services or procedures beyond those authorized in the agreement would be considered to have engaged in unprofessional conduct and would be subject to disciplinary action.
-- Require a supervising dentist to arrange for, and require a dental therapist to provide a referral for, any necessary services that exceeded the dental therapist's scope of practice.
-- Include a dental therapist among the health care professionals who may use a dental assistant as a second pair of hands.
-- Require the Michigan Board of Dentistry, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, to complete a study on the impact of dental therapist licensure and report to certain entities.
-- Include two dental therapists on the Board, beginning five years after the bill took effect.
The bill also would amend the Code to establish the following fees for an individual licensed or seeking licensure to practice as a dental therapist: a $15 application processing fee, a $300 examination fee, a $40 per-year license fee, a $15 temporary license fee, a $15 per-year limited license fee, and a $50 examination review fee.
MCL 333.16221 et al. Legislative Analyst: Stephen Jackson
FISCAL IMPACT
The bill would have an indeterminate fiscal impact on the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs, and no fiscal impact on local units of government. The proposed fees are in line with fees currently associated with the licensure of dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists. According to a report published by the Department, fees for dentistry-related professions generate revenue in excess of costs on an annual basis, so it would be reasonable to assume that, on a long-term basis, the proposed fees for dental therapists would do the same.
Date Completed: 9-20-17 Fiscal Analyst: Josh Sefton
This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan Senate staff for use by the Senate in its deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.