The New York state legislature has passed a bill to allow dental hygienists to practice without supervision in specified locations if they enter a collaborative practice agreement with a licensed dentist.
To be eligible for a collaborative practice agreement, hygienists must practice for at least three years and complete a minimum of 4,500 practice hours. Hygienists would also be required to complete a continuing education program that includes instruction in medical emergency procedures, risk management, dental hygiene jurisprudence and professional ethics.
Under S03157, hygienists practicing under an agreement would be allowed to provide unsupervised services in specific locations, some of which include hospitals, federally qualified health centers and long-term care facilities. Patients would also be allowed to be seen without prior evaluation of a dentist or medical professional.
Hygienists would only be allowed to hold a collaborative practice agreement with one dentist at a time. Dentists would not be allowed to have more than six collaborative practice agreements at a time. The state health department may grant exceptions to this limit for public health settings on a case-by-case basis.
The bill will now be sent to Gov. Kathy Hochul for final approval.
