65-1466. Dental services for dentally indigent persons; entities authorized to employ or contract with persons licensed under dental practices act for such services; reports by federally qualified health centers and clinics employing a national health service corps dentist; requirements for retired dentists providing such dental services. (a) (1) Notwithstanding any other provision of the dental practices act, a not-for-profit corporation having the status of an organization under 26 United States Code Annotated 501(c)(3) which is also a facility qualified under subsection (b) of K.S.A. 65-431 and amendments thereto to select and employ professional personnel, an indigent health care clinic as defined by the rules and regulations of the secretary of health and environment, or a local health department may employ or otherwise contract with a person licensed under the dental practices act to provide dental services to dentally indigent persons.

(2) Notwithstanding any other provision of the dental practices act, a federally qualified health center or national health service corps site may employ or otherwise contract with a person licensed under the dental practices act to provide services to any person except that a federally qualified health center and a clinic employing a national health service corps dentist shall report annually to the health care reform legislative oversight committee indicating the income level of their patients and the percentage of patients covered by dental insurance in the preceding year.

(b) Dentally indigent persons are those persons who are: (1) Determined to be a member of a family unit earning at or below 200% of poverty income guidelines based on the annual update of "poverty income guidelines" published in the federal register by the United States department of health and human services and are not indemnified against costs arising from dental care by a policy of accident and sickness insurance or an employee health benefits plan; or (2) eligible for medicaid; or (3) eligible for the Kansas federal children's health insurance program; or (4) eligible for other publicly funded health care programs as defined by the Kansas dental board; or (5) qualified for Indian health services. This subsection shall not be construed to prohibit an entity under subsection (a) which enters into an arrangement with a licensee under the dental practices act for purposes of providing services to dentally indigent persons pursuant to subsection (a) from defining "dentally indigent persons" more restrictively than such term is defined under this subsection.

(c) A licensee under the dental practices act who enters into an arrangement with an entity under subsection (a) to provide dental services pursuant to subsection (a): (1) Shall not be subject to having the licensee's license suspended or revoked by the board solely as a result of such arrangement; and (2) may not permit another person who is not licensed in Kansas as a dentist, and is not otherwise competent, to engage in the clinical practice of dentistry. No entity under subsection (a) or any other person may direct or interfere or attempt to direct or interfere with a licensed dentist's professional judgment and competent practice of dentistry.

(d) A dentist who is classified as "retired" by the Kansas dental board is not required to pay the biennial renewal fee or comply with the dental continuing education requirements if the dentist elects to provide dental services to the indigent through one of the entities specified in subsection (a). A "retired" dentist providing such services shall be required to comply with the renewal requirements of the Kansas dental board.

(e) The Kansas dental board may adopt rules and regulations as necessary to carry out the provisions of this section, except that no such rule and regulation shall alter or affect the intent of paragraph (2) of subsection (a).

(f) This section shall be part of and supplemental to the dental practices act.

History: L. 1996, ch. 210, § 1; L. 1998, ch. 141, § 4; L. 2000, ch. 169, § 17; July 1.