THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	3010
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating to dental health.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii's children have the highest prevalence of tooth decay in the nation, particularly amongst low-income children who reside in Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai counties. Despite ranking at the bottom of the nation for children's oral health, the State has taken concrete steps to change the oral health status of Hawaii's children and has become a pioneer in teledentistry. The legislature notes that the department of health and Pacific Center for Special Care at the University of the Pacific's School of Dentistry were awarded grants from the Hawaii Dental Service Foundation to fund a teledentistry pilot project, known as the Hawaii virtual dental home, in West Hawaii. The Hawaii Medical Service Association and Hawaii Dental Service Foundations have also committed funds to expand this successful pilot project to Maui.

The legislature further finds that the virtual dental home, an oral health initiative with the potential to significantly improve access to dental care for the underserved and vulnerable, is a community-based delivery of care system that uses telehealth-connected dental teams to provide dental services and dental education in communities where underserved populations live, learn, and socialize. Untreated dental disease is a significant problem in Hawaii, and the prevention of this disease is possible with supportive, culturally relevant education for children and their families.

The legislature notes that under existing law, the State's medicaid managed care and fee-for-service programs are required to cover services provided through telehealth. This allows for health services provided through a telehealth consultation to be covered, and be reimbursed to dentists, at the same rate as a face-to-face visit between a patient and a health care provider. However, for the virtual dental home pilot projects to be self-sustaining, certain barriers in the State's medicaid dental program must be addressed.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to support the sustainability of the Hawaii virtual dental home pilot projects by:

(1) Ensuring providers who use certain telehealth procedures and who apply caries arresting medications are reimbursed for doing so; and

(2) Clarifying that, for purposes of billing and payment, procedures performed using certain telehealth technologies are equivalent to those procedures performed in person.

SECTION 2. Chapter 346, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§346-   Hawaii medicaid dental program; covered procedures. The State's medicaid managed care, fee-for-service, and prospective payment system programs shall reimburse providers, though the appropriate means in those reimbursement systems, for the following:

(1) American Dental Association CDT code D0350, intraoral photographs, when the intraoral photographs are used to facilitate a review and consultation by a dentist of photographic images taken and transmitted using telehealth technologies, as authorized pursuant to section 346-59.1; and

(2) American Dental Association CDT code D1354, application of caries arresting medications."

SECTION 3. Section 346-59.1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (a) to read as follows:

"(a) The State's medicaid managed care [and], fee-for-service, and prospective payment system programs shall not deny coverage for any service provided through telehealth that would be covered if the service were provided through in-person consultation between a patient and a health care provider. For billing and payment purposes, the State shall consider procedures performed using real-time or store-and-forward telehealth technologies as equivalent to those procedures performed in person."

SECTION 4. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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Report Title:

Dental Health; Virtual Dental Home; Hawaii Medicaid Dental Program; Telehealth; Covered Procedures

Description:

Supports the sustainability of the Hawaii virtual dental home pilot projects by ensuring providers who use certain telehealth procedures and apply caries arresting medications are reimbursed for doing so and clarifying that, for purposes of billing and payment, procedures performed using certain telehealth technologies are equivalent to those procedures performed in person.

The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.