After postponing committee meetings because of safety concerns, the Indiana General Assembly is now back on track. This week, several House and Senate committees reconvened to discuss the next round of bills, including some of the Governor’s own initiatives. Not surprisingly, SB 1: Civil Immunity for COVID-19 was voted out of the Judiciary Committee and the Senate itself, and is now headed to the House.

The IDA strongly supports this measure, which would shelter dental employers from COVID-related liability claims.

HB 1079: Definition of Dentistry/Vaccines/Virtual Credit Cards
The IDA’s own HB 1079 has been scheduled for a hearing in the Public Health Committee on Monday, February 1. HB 1079 amends the definition of dentistry, allows a dentist to administer immunizations under certain circumstances, and provides that a health insurance plan may not require a dental provider to accept payment under the health insurance plan by virtual claim payment.

State Representative Dr. Denny Zent and IDA Director of Government Affairs Shane Springer are expected to testify in favor of the bill, explaining how this IDA initiative would increase access to oral healthcare throughout the state.

Rep. Zent and Shane will testify around 8:30 a.m. on Monday. To watch their testimony, visit this link.

HB 1286 Telehealth Matters
On Tuesday, Shane Springer testified in front of the Public Health Committee favor of HB 1286. The bill expands the application of the telehealth statute to additional licensed practitioners, amends the definition of “telehealth,” and specifies that a patient waives confidentiality of medical information concerning individuals in the vicinity when the patient is using telehealth, among other provisions. Several professional organizations voiced support of the bill, which should be put to a committee vote next week.

 
As always, thank you for being a member of the IDA. Your membership and participation are essential to our organization and we will continue our fight for Indiana dentists.

 

Get Involved

Contact IDA Director of Government Affairs Shane Springer

Donate to IDPAC

Sign up for our Legislative Alerts

 

 

The IDA Leadership Committee invites applications or nominations for a number of IDA and ADA leadership opportunities that will become available in upcoming months. Click here to view a list of opportunities that may be perfect for you or another member.

 

Session was cancelled this week due to security concerns, but your IDA Government Affairs team was still hard at work. On Wednesday night, members of the Government Affairs Committee and Access to Care Subcommittee met to discuss updates to the IDA’s own HB 1079, as well as its positions on several other healthcare bills.

HB 1079 amends the definition of dentistry, allows a dentist to administer immunizations under certain circumstances, and provides that a health insurance plan may not require a dental provider to accept payment under the health insurance plan by virtual claim payment.

 

In Favor

SB 1/ HB 1002 Civil Immunity

Both bills provide civil immunity for damages resulting from exposure of an individual to COVID-19 on the premises owned or operated by a person, on any premises on which the person or an employee or agent of the person provided property or services to the individual, or during an activity managed, organized, or sponsored by the person.

SB 3 Telehealth Matters

This bill, authored by Senator Ed Charbonneau, changes the use of the term “telemedicine” to “telehealth.” It specifies certain activities that are considered to be health care services for purposes of the telehealth laws and expands the application of the telehealth statute to additional licensed practitioners instead of applying only to prescribers. The bill also amends the definition of “telehealth” and requires that the telehealth medical records be created and maintained under the same standards of appropriate practice for medical records for patients in an in-person setting.

 

Against

SB 330 Dental Therapists

This bill adds dental therapists and advanced dental therapists to the dental practitioners who are eligible for grants under the proposed Indiana dental recruitment fund. It provides for the licensure of dental therapists and the certification of licensed dental therapists as advanced dental therapists. The bill also requires a dental therapist and an advanced dental therapist to practice in an underserved area or a setting that serves low-income, uninsured, and underserved patients, and it specifies the services and procedures that may be performed by a dental therapist and an advanced dental therapist.

ADA is offering to two Visa Rewards cards for members:

 

The ADA® Visa® Business Rewards Card has the perks of a business card designed with IDA member dentists in mind.

• Earn up to 50,000 Bonus Points in the first year!¹
• Earn valuable points on your biggest expenses – 5X POINTS on dues payments with IDA and on ADA purchases (including Great West/Protective Life)², 2X POINTS at dental supply providers³ and 1X POINT everywhere else Visa is accepted⁴
• No Annual Fee and no foreign transaction fees!
• Complimentary employee cards with spending control
• Redeem points for your choice of rewards – Award travel on 150+ airlines with no blackout dates, hotel stays and travel packages, plus gift cards and cash back in the form of a statement credit

 

To apply, call 888-327-2265 ext. 37385 or visit adavisa.com/37385

 

The ADA® Preferred Rewards Visa® Card is the card IDA member dentists count on for great benefits and valuable rewards.

• Earn 20,000 Bonus Points after you spend $5,000 on the card in 90 days⁵
• Only 25,000 points equals up to a $450 ticket – No travel blackout dates on 150+ airlines
• No Annual Fee and no foreign transaction fees!
• Points add up fast – earn 2 points per $1 spent on all eligible [insert state society name here] purchases and one point per $1 spent on eligible purchases everywhere else Visa cards are accepted
• Earn an additional 20,000 bonus points after $125,000 annual spend⁶
• Valuable Cardmember benefits, including Zero Fraud Liability⁷

 

To apply, call 888-327-2265 ext. 36991 or visit adavisa.com/36991

 

Important Information

We may change APRs, fees and other Account Terms in the future based on your experience with U.S. Bank National Association and its affiliates as provided under the Cardmember Agreement and applicable law.
Accounts must be open and in good standing to earn and redeem rewards and benefits. Rewards points are earned on eligible net purchases. Net purchases are purchases minus credits and returns. Non-Purchase transactions, including cash advances, convenience checks, balance transfers, and other advance transactions as defined in the Cardmember Agreement, as well as interest charges and fees, do not qualify. Upon approval, please refer to your Cardmember Agreement for additional information. You may not redeem Points, and you will immediately lose all of your Points, if your Account is closed to future transactions (including, but not limited to, Program misuse, failure to pay, bankruptcy, or death). Points will expire five years from the end of the calendar quarter in which they were earned.

¹Earn up to an additional 50,000 bonus points in the first 365 days after account opening. Accounts will earn 1 bonus point in addition to the standard amount earned for each $1 of eligible net purchases, up to 50,000 bonus points. These bonus points will be awarded on your monthly billing statement. This offer may not be combined with any other bonus offer.

²Some restrictions apply. In order to qualify for the (4) additional points on ADA purchases, the purchases must be from designated ADA-endorsed providers, as determined by the provider.

³U.S. Bank cannot control how merchants choose to classify their business and reserves the right to determine which purchases qualify.

⁴Some restrictions apply. Refer to your Program Rules at adavisa.com/faqs for additional information. Reward points are earned with your ADA Visa credit card.

⁵To earn first use bonus, eligible net purchases must be made within 90 days of account open date. Bonus will be credited to your account 6-8 weeks after the end of the promotion period.

⁶The $125,000 spend must be on eligible net purchases and is per calendar year. The annual spend bonus eligibility timeframe is January 1 through December 31. Bonus will be credited to your account 6-8 weeks after the end of the promotion period.

⁷U.S. Bank provides zero fraud liability for unauthorized transactions. Cardmember must notify U.S. Bank promptly of any unauthorized use. Certain conditions and limitations may apply.

The creditor and issuer of the ADA® Visa Signature® Card is U.S. Bank National Association, pursuant to a license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. ©2020 U.S. Bank

January 15, 2021

IDA Testifies in Support of SB 03

Even though this year’s legislative session may look different, it’s certainly just as productive. This week IDA Director of Government Affairs Shane Springer and IDA Member Dr. Shaun Matthews testified in front of the Senate Health and Provider Services Committee; speaking in support of SB 03, which deals with various telehealth matters. The IDA thanks Dr. Matthews for his time, his excellent testimony, and his devotion to being an informed advocate for his profession—Indiana is very fortunate to have him. The bill is still in committee, but it has received broad support from organizations across the state.

COVID Liability Legislation

In addition, both version of the COVID Liability bill (SB 1 and HB 1002) are making their way through their respective houses. SB 1 passed out of the Judiciary Committee and will now be voted on by the Senate as a whole in the coming days. Both versions of the bill provide civil immunity for damages resulting from exposure of an individual to COVID-19 in various circumstances. The IDA will be watching this bill with great interest, as similar legislation has been successfully passed in other states.

IDA Watching SB 330

On a less positive note, SB 330 was introduced this week. The bill, carried by Senator Ronald Grooms, adds dental therapists and advanced dental therapists to the dental practitioners who are eligible for grants under the proposed Indiana Dental Recruitment Fund. The bill also provides for the licensure of dental therapists and the certification of licensed dental therapists as advanced dental therapists, and specifies the services and procedures that may be performed by a dental therapist and an advanced dental therapist. The IDA is already working to stop this bill, but may call on you and your colleagues for assistance. Click here to read the full text of the bill.

As always, thank you for being a member of the IDA. Your membership and participation are essential to our organization and we will continue our fight for Indiana dentists.

 

Get Involved

Contact IDA Director of Government Affairs Shane Springer

Donate to IDPAC

Sign up for our Legislative Alerts

 

 

Governor Eric Holcomb has issued Executive Order 20-21, which temporarily suspends the requirement for live continuing education for licensed professionals in Indiana. The requirements of IC 24-14-3-8 and IC 25-13-2-6 have been waived to allow for a dentist or dental hygienist to utilize distance learning to complete their continuing education requirements for licensure renewal. This Executive Order is temporary but in effect for the duration of the pandemic. Click here to read more.

January 8, 2021

Indiana’s 2021 Legislative Session kicked off this Monday. Members of the House and Senate convened in person for their first meeting, and there was certainly much to discuss!

This legislative session will be unlike any we have seen. We are truly in unprecedented times given the devastation of the pandemic. The House of Representatives has been moved to Indiana Government Center South in order to practice proper social distancing. The Senate, having fewer members than the House, has been able to stay in the Senate Chambers. Public testimony has gone virtual and access to legislators has inevitably been limited. Nonetheless, House and Senate leadership are confident they will be able to carry out their duties.

This legislative session the Indiana General Assembly must, by law, accomplish two things: pass a comprehensive biennial budget to fund government services for the next two years, and redraw new congressional and state legislative district boundaries. Session is expected to end on April 29 but may not adjourn until much later if session is interrupted due to COVID-19.

The Statehouse will certainly be busy over the next few months: Between adjusting to virtual testimony on bills, drafting the budget and redrawing district lines, there will certainly be a flurry of activity. Below is a brief legislative preview of IDA’s submitted bill, along with a few others we have great interest in.

IDA Submitted Bill: HB 1079, Practice of Dentistry; Virtual Claim Payments (Rep. Denny Zent)
This IDA bill updates the definition of dentistry and provides that a dentist may administer an immunization if the dentist:

• is certified in cardiopulmonary resuscitation;
• has successfully completed a course of training in immunization that meets specified requirements; and
• administers the immunization in accordance with a protocol that includes specified requirements and procedures.

On the dental benefits side, the bill provides that a health insurance plan, including a health management organization contract, may not require a dental provider to accept payment via virtual credit card, along with other payment stipulations.

 

Other Bills of Interest

SB 1/ HB 1002: Civil Immunity Related to COVID-19 (Sen. Mark Messmer & Rep. Jerry Torr)
Both bills provide civil immunity for damages resulting from exposure of an individual to COVID-19 on the premises owned or operated by a person, on any premises on which the person or an employee or agent of the person provided property or services to the individual, or during an activity managed, organized, or sponsored by the person.

SB 3: Telehealth Matters (Sen. Ed Charbonneau)
Changes the use of the term “telemedicine” to “telehealth.” Specifies certain activities that are considered to be health care services for purposes of the telehealth laws. Expands the application of the telehealth statute to additional licensed practitioners, including dentists, instead of applying only to prescribing physicians. Requires that the telehealth medical records be created and maintained under the same standards of appropriate practice for medical records for patients in an in-person setting. Specifies that a patient waives confidentiality of medical information concerning individuals in the vicinity when the patient is using telehealth.

SB 74: Workplace Immunization Prohibition (Sen. Dennis Kruse)
Prohibits an employer from requiring, as a condition of employment, an employee or prospective employee to receive any immunization if the immunization is medically contraindicated for the employee or receiving the immunization is against the employee’s religious beliefs or conscience. Allows for a civil action against an employer for a violation.

HB 1021: Health Workforce Student Loan Repayment Program (Rep. Ethan Manning)
Establishes the health workforce student loan repayment program, the health workforce council, and the health workforce student loan repayment program fund for the purpose of providing funds to repay outstanding student loans of certain health providers who meet the program requirements.

Get Involved

Contact IDA Director of Government Affairs Shane Springer

Donate to IDPAC

Sign up for our Legislative Alerts

 

 

The ADA has published COVID vaccine FAQs with information on vaccine requirements, liability and other FAQs for dental offices. Click here to read the FAQs.