SAN ANTONIO, TX -- (Marketwired) -- 10/07/14 -- This week, thousands of dentists and dental professionals from around the country are gathering in San Antonio to attend any one of four national annual meetings, including the annual American Dental Association (ADA) conference. Texas dentists will no doubt be talking about the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners' (TSBDE) proposed rules (TAC 108. 70 & TAC 108.74) that would raise costs and restrict access to dental care for Texans.
The ADA conference will be in session Oct. 9 - 14 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. Other significant national dental organizations meeting in San Antonio this week include:
- American Association of Dental Boards, Oct. 7 - 8, Hyatt Regency
- American Association of Women Dentists, Oct. 9, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, in conjunction with ADA
- Association of Dental Support Organizations, Oct. 7 - 8, at the Grand Hyatt
The TSBDE proposed regulations would severely diminish, if not completely eliminate, dentists' ability to contract with Dental Support Organizations (DSOs). In letters to the TSBDE, more than 1,600 Texas dentists and dental professionals have voiced their opposition to the rules, including San Antonio dentist Dr. Tamara Garcia, who is concerned that her low-income patients, particularly Hispanics, will suffer from decreased access.
"The proposed rules would be a bad idea anywhere, but in Texas, which already has an extreme shortage of dentists to care for our neediest patients, the rules would be a disaster," says Garcia. According to the Kaiser Foundation, Texas ranks 50th in the number of dentists needed to serve the State population.
Business leaders have also chimed in, including Texas Association of Business CEO Bill Hammond, who submitted a letter to the board and publicly decried the proposals yesterday.
"The Texas Legislature defeated a similar measure in 2013, but the board is trying to go around that outcome," said Dr. Quinn Dufurrena, Executive Director of Association of Dental Support Organizations.
Keith Newton, spokesperson for the Texas Coalition of Dental Support Organizations (TCDSO), added, "If passed, these rules would negatively affect more than 1.1 million patients served by DSOs in Texas. That includes nearly 5,000 dentists and support staff, more than 400 practices across the state and investments of more than $160 million."
Visit the Texas Coalition of Dental Support Organizations website for more information. TCDSO supports dentists in the efficient delivery of affordable, high-quality dental care to more than a million Texans annually. Texas dentists have contracted with TCDSO members for more than 30 years to provide non-clinical administrative support services, including facility maintenance, supply procurement, scheduling, accounting, and marketing. These services enable dentists to spend less time handling non-clinical administrative duties and devote more time to the delivery of affordable, high-quality dental care to patients in their communities.
For more information, contact
Jeff Tieszen
512-585-8728
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