Plz read this thread.. and help saving the Dentistry!!

[jatt007]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=502094

Please see this thread and see whats going on...the thread has gone to 5 pages already in few days.. the new bill almost being passed in Minnesota would allow a new breed of mid-career professionals.. called ADHP who could do most of the stuff dentists are doing with just 2.5 years College coursework... they can do most of the surgical processes.. WITHOUT supervision of a dentist... plz support the students in MN who are fighting to minimize the harm this bill could cause to dentistry and to dentists... The ADHP's are making an issue of Medicaid patients being turned away by dentists and also lack of dental care in rural areas.. BUT nowhere in the Bill it says that the ADHP's can serve only in rural areas or just treat Medicaid patients... nothing,.. there are no restrictions.. they can do MOST of the things dentists are doing right now... without any supervision of dentists...and expected is that they would open up their practices in big citiies due to lack of ANy restriction in the bill about their area-they-could-work... adhp's are looking to replace us in MN right now with very good chances of going national...the ADHA has found a backdoor entry with just 2.5 yrs of course and become a dentist.... We should take this very seriously.. this might affect us a lot.. and I read somewhere that we don't have to worry as it would take a lot of time for ADHP's to come in real world bussines.. But I read it on ADA article.. that is posted on the last page of the thread... it says the first batch is going to start in 2009... so it is a very real issue and its going to be very quick before we realize all this... there will be a new breed of almost-dentists performing same tasks as dentists with a slight less fees and killing the dentist profession... AND the most disturbing thing in this bill is.. the purpose of bringing in the new professionals was to provide dental care to the underserved areas and Medicaid patients.... that was the whole purpose of the bill.. and NOWHERE in the bill it puts any restrictions or priorities for these ADHP's to work on these medicaid patients or in underserved areas...this is the most disturbing point.. secondly performing Irreversible surgical operations on patients without being supervised by dentists... Please contribute in whatever way you can or just debate on the issue.. as it is in MN right now and very soon will be in the whole USA if the bill goes through...as the drafters of bill have plans to...

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[starrynight]

i read the posts and i just cannot believe it...this is outrageous..it's a shame that something like this can happen; after years and years of trainning(6 y of univ and 2 more of residency and now 2 more in the US), huuuge amount of money in loans, we'll have competitors with only 2.5 years of trainning..and they'll be able the performe the same procedures without the proper knowledge is preposterous..
i really hope that this bill will not get through and all this nonsens will come to an end

 

[jatt007]

The sad part is that the bill passed in Senate Health Finance committee and is sent to the Senate Finance Committee... they are just HOPING that the ADHP will solve the problem of lacking dental care.. which is not true as there are no specific restrictions about the areas they would work or patients they would see.. and no way they would treat the Medicaid patients with low reimbursements.. the fight is still on there but it will be hard to stop this extreme step.. we should be trying to help as much as we can.. plz follow the thread and try to contact the reps as advised.. Also, we should keep alert now about any other state following the same model as MN...