G ove r n men t Re lat ions
g AMENDED legislation to prohibit dental hygienists
from opening private independent private practices,
while requiring additional training and education for
those hygienists practicing independently in public
settings.
g TRANSFORMED the dental profession by convincing
the legislature to legitimize the practice of expanded
function dental assistants, increasing dental office
productivity.
g STOPPED the legislature from passing a bill prohibiting
dentists from administering general anesthesia and
deep sedation in their offices. To learn more about
current legislative efforts visit the Government Relations
page at www.padental.org/gr.
SPECIAL NOTICE TO LICENSEES REGARDING
NEW CE REQUIREMENT FOR OPIOID
PRESCRIBERS AND DISPENSERS
During the waning days of 2016, the General Assembly passed
SB 1202, legislation that requires the following of health care
providers:
• Applicants for an initial license must obtain at least two
hours of education in pain management or identification of
addiction, and at least two hours of education in the practice
of prescribing or dispensing opioids. They may complete this
requirement as part of their professional degree educational
program or from a continuing education (CE) program taken
within 12 months of obtaining an initial license or certificate.
• Dispenses and prescribes applying to renew their licenses
or certificates must complete at least two hours of CE in pain
management, identification of addition or the practice of
prescribing or dispensing of opioids as a portion of the total
CE required for biennial renewal.
Governor Wolf signed SB 1202, now Act 124, into law on
November 2. The law became effective on January 1.
In late December, the State Board of Dentistry (SBOD), in
conjunction with the Department of Health, provided advance
notice to all licensees who are considered “prescribers” or
“dispensers” under section 3 of the Achieving Better Care by
Monitoring All Prescriptions Program (ABC-MAP) Act (35 P.S. §
872.3), as amended, that effective January 1, 2017, all licensees
applying for the renewal of a license issued by the SBOD
who are considered prescribers or dispensers will be required
to complete at least 2 hours of Board-approved continuing
education in pain management, identification of addiction or
8
MA R CH / A P R I L 2017 | P EN N S YLVA N IA D EN TA L J O UR N A L
the practices of prescribing or dispensing of opioids as a
condition of renewal.
Please note that the continuing education requirements of Act
124 will not be necessary in order to renew licenses in 2017.
However, dentists will be required to complete at least two hours
of SBOD-approved continuing education in pain management,
identification of addiction or the practices of prescribing or
dispensing of opioids as a condition of renewal in 2019.
PDA has obtained clarification from the Department of State’s
Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) about
exemptions in Act 124 for health care providers who do not
prescribe controlled substances.
BPOA confirmed that there are two exemptions for licensees:
1. Licensees who are exempt from the federal Drug
Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) requirements for a registration
number.
2. Licensees who do not use the registration number of another
person or entity, as permitted by law, to prescribe controlled
substances in any manner.
The continuing education (CE) requirement does apply to all
licensees who have a current DEA registration or use another
DEA number (as permitted by law) to prescribe controlled
substances.
Licensing boards are tasked with working with the Department
of State to approve courses for pain management, identification
of addiction, and the practices of prescribing and dispensing
of opioids. More information regarding this requirement will be
posted on the State Board of Dentistry’s website when it is
available.
Five Reasons to Support PADPAC
1) PADPAC is one of the largest bi-partisan health care political
action committees in Pennsylvania. If PDA members do not
participate in advocacy efforts through PADPAC, we risk
ceding control of legislative debates to other groups. PDA
members must ensure their professional voice is heard in
Harrisburg!
2) PADPAC contributions directly support electing candidates
who support a healthy practice environment for dentists in
Pennsylvania.
3) There are many new members of the Pennsylvania General
Assembly who are unfamiliar with PDA’s issues. PADPAC
helps us build relationships with these new lawmakers,
allowing us to educate them about the association, the