ADHP Legislation in Minnesota - Update

In February 2008, the Minnesota Dental Hygienists’ Association and the Minnesota Safety Net Coalition introduced legislation in the state legislature to establish an Advanced Practice Dental Hygiene Practitioner (ADHP). This was the first legislation of its kind to be introduced in the United States. Since that time, the legislation has generated a great deal of support among legislators and third party organizations committed to increasing access to care.

The bill went through a number of changes as it progressed through the legislative process. One significant variation of the original ADHP bill was an amendment to become a pilot project in which 15 mid-level practitioners would enter into practice in 2011 and an additional 15 in 2012. Additionally, the name of the provider changed from ADHP to Oral Health Practitioner (OHP). In mid-April, the sponsors of the bill met with the various stakeholders and devised a compromise proposal that would establish an OHP in statute and convene a workgroup to make recommendations defining the scope, supervision, and education of the provider. The compromise language overwhelming passed through the legislature and was signed into law on May 12, 2008.

The law codifies that the OHP will be a licensed, educated provider who works with a Minnesota licensed dentist via a collaborative management agreement - building off the current collaborative practice agreements currently in place in Minnesota. The OHP must be a graduate of an oral health practitioner education program that is accredited by CODA or another national accreditation organization and pass a board approved competency-based clinical examination that is independent of the education program. Additionally, the law stipulates that OHPs must practice in underserved areas and cannot begin lawful practice prior to 2011. 
The scope of practice the workgroup is directed to design for the provider includes: primary diagnostic, educational, palliative, therapeutic, restorative, simple extractions and prescriptive authority.

The workgroup will be populated by the various stakeholders including representatives from Metropolitan State University, the University of Minnesota, MDHA, MDA, the state board of dentistry, Safety Net Coalition, and several other dentists representing various public health and special interest groups as well as two state agency representatives.  In sum, the workgroup will be populated by 13 people—7 of which must be dentists, 2 of which must be dental hygienists, 2 of which will be state government employees, and the remaining 2 are at the discretion of the groups assigned to appoint them. The majority of dentists on the workgroup will have to have specific public health experience. The workgroup is charged with completing its work by December 15, 2008 and draft legislation to enact specific recommendations will be required by January 15, 2009.

The chart below is a side-by-side comparison of the OHP and ADHP models.  

Full text of the bill is available by clicking the following link, https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/bin/bldbill.php?bill=S2942.3.html&session=ls85.
Scroll down to Section 26.

For more information on the OHP efforts in Minnesota, please contact the ADHA Governmental Affairs Department at (312) 440-8925 or by email at gov.affairs@adha.net. Additional information is also available on the Minnesota Dental Hygienists’ Association website: http://www.mndha.com.