In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Dental Society has agreed to support a proposal from Delta Dental of Massachusetts regarding fee methodology for Delta’s Premier and PPO plans. While the proposal still has to be approved by the Massachusetts Division of Insurance, Delta’s plan is to implement it by January 1, 2019.

Last year, Delta Dental of Massachusetts created and sought to expand a new PPO plan, called Total Choice, which offered reimbursement rates up to 30% lower than the Premier plan.

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The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) will be holding a hearing at the American Dental Hygienists Association (ADHA) Annual Conference in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, June 23. CODA will be accepting written and verbal testimony regarding proposed changes to Accreditation Standards for Dental Hygiene Education Programs.

The AGD submitted official comments to CODA last month, conveying opposition to the addition of the terms “dental hygiene diagnosis,” as well as any reference to hygienists formulating a “treatment plan,” as diagnoses and treatment planning are exclusively within the scope of dentists, and the use of these terms to describe the work of hygienists will likely lead to confusion among patients.

For further information about the meeting, as well as how to submit testimony, please follow this link.

If you would like more information on legislative matters in your state, or are interested in carrying out advocacy on AGD issues, please contact us at advocacy@agd.org or visit the AGD’s Advocacy webpage.