ISDS Scores Major Legislative Success

The Illinois State Dental Society members scored a major legislative victory as the General Assembly came to a close for the 2021 session by receiving the support and passage of a 10-million-dollar budget increase in the rates paid out for Medicaid dental services. This has been a legislative priority in our efforts to enhance both restorative and Anesthesia coverage as well as enhancing extraction rates to attract more specialist to the Medicaid program. The specific proposed increases will be worked out over the course of the coming months with the Department and dental advisory groups who interact with the Medicaid program.

In another major achievement ISDS working in partnership with Delta Dental successfully passed SB 493 that creates the framework for moving dental billing and payment to an electronic claims format by the year 2025. This phase in approach will allow dental practices sufficient time to convert their systems so that claims can be submitted, approved and paid more efficiently. While ISDS was actively working to pass legislation that benefits the profession, we were also working to stop or modify bills that were determined to be detrimental to dentistry.

HB 690 was introduced by Aspen Dental who is moving its headquarters to Chicago as part of that move, Aspen wanted to allow out of state dentists affiliated with their DSO to come to Chicago and as part of their ongoing CE training and provide care to underserved residents at their new clinic located at the new headquarters. ISDS worked with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) and members of the Chicago Dental Society to develop strict statutory requirements that would regulate and limit this type of practice and to ensure that patients received the continuity of care needed for proper dental services.

ISDS also opposed the continued efforts by nurse anesthetists to provide anesthesia services in a dental office without the dentist have the same anesthesia training. In addition, we opposed efforts by the Dental Hygienist to expand the scope of public health dental hygienists into nursing homes, mobile van services and prisons with out a required dental exam prior to the services being performed. For a complete list of the bills and synopsis click here.