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American Dental Education Association
Volume 3, No. 14, October 3, 2023
ED Releases Report on Strategies and Practices to Increase Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education
On Sept. 28, the Department of Education (ED) issued a report [ [link removed] ] , Strategies for Increasing Diversity and Opportunity in Higher Education, calling on state higher education leaders to find ways to prioritize increasing diversity in higher education. The report includes evidence-based strategies and practices in the areas of outreach, admissions, financial aid and college completion.
In a statement, ED said the Biden administration “encourages institutions of higher education and state leaders to use this resource to consider the ways in which they can expand access to educational opportunity for all.” The report provides evidence for steps leaders can take to enhance socioeconomic and racial diversity in colleges, including:
• Investing in targeted recruitment, outreach and pathway programs, including with K–12 schools, community colleges, historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities and minority-serving institutions, such as Hispanic-serving institutions;
• Giving meaningful consideration in admissions to the adversity students have faced, including a student’s financial means, where a student grew up or attended high school and personal experiences of hardship and discrimination, including racial discrimination, and ending practices that hinder socioeconomic and racial diversity;
• Increasing affordability, including through need-based aid, and ensuring transparency and simplicity in student aid application processes; and
• Cultivating welcoming and supportive environments for students and providing comprehensive support programs that increase retention and completion rates.
Congress Reaches to Deal to Avoid Federal Government Shutdown
On Sept. 30, Congress passed the ‘‘Continuing Appropriations Act, 2024 and Other Extensions Act” that will keep the federal government in operation until Friday, Nov. 17. This will give the Congress time to complete action on the 12 appropriations bills funding federal programs and agencies.
Section 2321 of the legislation also extends until Nov. 17 the operational authority that would have expired on Sept. 30 for Community Health Centers, the National Health Service Corps, the Teaching Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program and the Special Diabetes Program.
A supplemental appropriation for the Federal Emergency Management Agency of $16 billion is included to address the needs resulting from the wildfire in Maui, Hurricane Idalia in Florida and flooding in the Northeast.
President Biden signed the bill into law prior to the Saturday midnight deadline.
Illinois Makes Multiple Changes to Dental Practice Act, Creates E-Prescribing Exemptions
Recently signed legislation in Illinois makes numerous changes to the state’s Dental Practice Act and creates several new exemptions to e-prescribing requirements. The bill does the following:
• It allows the holder of a faculty limited license to advertise a specialty degree as part of the licensee’s ability to practice in a faculty practice.
• It allows a license to be granted by credentials if an applicant has been practicing dentistry or dental hygiene for at least two years immediately preceding the filing of an application. In contrast, current law requires an applicant for licensure by credentials to practice for at least three of the five years immediately preceding an application.
• It allows a public health dental hygienist to treat patients without a dentist first examining the patient, if the patient does not have insurance and is part of a household with income that is no greater than 300% of the federal poverty level.
• It requires a dental office that is closing to provide notice to its patients at least 30 days prior to closure. Adverse action will be taken against a licensee for failure to comply with this notice period.
• It allows adverse action to be taken against a licensee for failure to maintain a sanitary work environment.
• It clarifies that dental records are the property of the office in which dentistry is practiced.
• It requires all prescriptions issued for Schedule II controlled substances to include the quantity prescribed.
The following exemptions to e-prescribing requirements were also included in the bill:
• An individual who certifies to the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation that he or she will not issue more than 150 prescriptions during a 12-month period is not required to comply with e-prescribing requirements. After 2029, this exemption only applies if a prescriber certifies they will issue no more than 50 prescriptions during a 12-month period.
• On and after Jan. 1, 2026, the prescriber provides proof of a waiver from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for the Electronic Prescribing for Controlled Substances Program due to demonstrated economic hardship for the previous compliance year.
• Prescribers are exempt if there is a temporary technological or electrical failure that prevents an electronic prescription from being issued.
• Prescribers are exempt if the prescription is issued when the prescriber and dispenser are the same entity.
• Prescribers are exempt if the prescription is issued for a compound prescription containing two or more compounds.
• Prescribers are exempt if the prescription is a non-patient specific prescription dispensed under a standing order under specified circumstances.
• Finally, prescribers are also exempt if a prescription is written for an individual residing in specified long-term care or government-owned facilities.
Colorado Finalizes Rule Making Dental Therapists Eligible for Medicaid Reimbursement
Colorado’s Medicaid Services Board recently finalized a rule [ [link removed] ] that clarifies dental therapists are eligible for reimbursement under the state’s Medicaid program. The rule was finalized as part of the implementation of legislation [ [link removed] ] the state passed in 2022 that authorizes the practice of dental therapy in Colorado.
Although the state began issuing licenses [ [link removed] ] to dental therapists in May, it must rely on dental therapists trained out of state as training programs [ [link removed] ] only exist in Alaska, Minnesota and Maine.
ADEA Advocacy in Action
This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.
Issues and Resources
• ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on teledentistry
• ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
• ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
• For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .
Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]
ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]
Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]
The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.
©2023
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
Tel: 202-289-7201
Website: www.adea.org [ [link removed] ]
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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA
ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer
Bridgette DeHart, J.D.
ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy
Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.
ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy
Varsha Menon
ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations
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