05/13/2019 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

          HB 127-DENTAL HYGIENIST ADVANCED PRAC PERMIT                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:18:26 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WOOL  announced that the  first order of business  would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 127, "An Act  relating to the practice  of dental                                                               
hygiene;  establishing an  advanced practice  permit; prohibiting                                                               
unfair  discrimination under  group  health  insurance against  a                                                               
dental hygienist who holds an  advanced practice permit; relating                                                               
to medical assistance for dental  hygiene services; and providing                                                               
for an effective date."                                                                                                         
                                                                                                                                
[Before the  committee was a  proposed committee  substitute (CS)                                                               
for HB 127, Version 31-LS0836\M, Fisher, 5/11/19.]                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:18:56 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
ASHLEY  STRAUCH, Staff,  Representative Adam  Wool, Alaska  State                                                               
Legislature, explained  [Version M]  makes the  following changes                                                               
to HB  127:  It reflects  what is currently in  statute under the                                                               
scope of  practice for dental  hygienists by allowing  a licensed                                                               
dental hygienist  with an advanced practice  permit to administer                                                               
local anesthesia  if certified by  the Board of  Dental Examiners                                                               
on page 2,  line 24.  Second,  on page 2, lines  28-29, Version M                                                               
adds  "delegate  dental  operations  and  services  to  a  dental                                                               
assistant  as  provided  in  AS  08.36.346."    This  allows  the                                                               
licensed dental  hygienists with  an advanced practice  permit to                                                               
delegate  a dental  assistant to  perform  services within  their                                                               
scope of  practice.   Third, on  page 4,  lines 26-27,  Version M                                                               
adds,  "except as  permitted under  an  advanced practice  permit                                                               
under AS 08.32.125,"  which allows the Board  of Dental Examiners                                                               
to suspend  or revoke the license  of a dental hygienist  with an                                                               
advanced  practice permit  if  they  perform clinical  procedures                                                               
outside  their   scope  of  practice   and  without   the  needed                                                               
supervision of a  licensed dentist.  Fourth, on page  4, line 31,                                                               
and  page 5,  lines 1-2,  it makes  a change  to AS  08.32.160 by                                                               
adding, "(10) permitted  a dental assistant employed  by a dental                                                               
hygienist or working under the  supervision of a dental hygienist                                                               
to perform a dental procedure in  violation of AS 08.32.110 or AS                                                               
08.36.346;".   This  allows  the  board to  suspend  or revoke  a                                                               
license  of a  dental  hygienist if  the  dental assistant  works                                                               
outside their  scope of practice  written in statute.   Fifth, on                                                               
page  5, lines  3-5,  it  adds, "(11)  falsified  or destroyed  a                                                               
patient or  facility record  or failed to  maintain a  patient or                                                               
facility  record for  at least  seven  years after  the date  the                                                               
record was created."   This requires a  licensed dental hygienist                                                               
with an advanced  practice permit to keep patient  records for at                                                               
least seven years.  Sixth, on  page, lines 6-12, there's an added                                                               
subsection (c) that allows an  assistant who's working within his                                                               
or her scope  of practice to be supervised by  a dental hygienist                                                               
with an  advanced practice permit.   Finally, the  seventh change                                                               
is on  page 6, line  18, and gives  the Department of  Health and                                                               
Social  Services the  ability to  adopt regulations  necessary to                                                               
implement changes made in the Act.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
3:24:42 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE  STUTES  moved  to adopt  the  proposed  committee                                                               
substitute  (CS)   for  HB  127,  labeled   31-LS0836\M,  Fisher,                                                               
5/11/19,  as  the working  draft.    [There being  no  objection,                                                               
Version M was before the committee.]                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:25:51 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
The committee took an at-ease from 3:25 to 3:39 p.m.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:29:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR WOOL  asked who is  responsible if a dental  assistant does                                                               
something countered to statute in a typical dental office.                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:29:54 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE   IVY   SPOHNHOLZ,   Alaska   State   Legislature,                                                               
explained that in  an integrated dental office  where the dentist                                                               
has the license under which  everyone else is formally operating,                                                               
the  dentist is  the ultimate  arbiter of  responsibility and  is                                                               
responsible  for  both  the  dental   hygienist  and  the  dental                                                               
assistant.                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
3:31:13 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
DAVID NIELSON, Board of Dental Examiners, concurred.                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
3:32:08 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
REPRESENTATIVE STUTES  REPRESENTATIVE moved  to report  CSHB 127,                                                               
Version  LS0836\M,   Fisher,  5/11/19,  out  of   committee  with                                                               
individual  recommendations and  the  accompanying fiscal  notes.                                                               
Without objection, CSHB  127(L&C) was moved from  the House Labor                                                               
and Commerce Standing Committee.