Texas Health Institute
9111 Jollyville Road
Austin, TX
United States
Texas Health Institute (THI) is the state’s non-partisan public health institute, which serves as a leading voice on public health and healthcare issues in Texas and nationally. THI looks to leverage their expertise and strategies for driving systems change across a variety of sectors. THI is a long-time partner of CareQuest Institute and has served as a backbone for oral health in Texas over the past few years that have seen some remarkable success.
This proposal is for a 6-month scope of work that specifically is focused on the relative rulemaking associated with the new law authorizing teledentistry in the state, which was signed on June 16th of 2021.
In Texas, while the law allowing the practice of teledentistry is now in effect, the Texas Dental Board has not yet passed any rules regarding the practice. Passing and enacting those rules has a deadline of March 11th, 2022. An initial and restrictive interpretation has already shown the need for consumer and expert input as well as consensus on how to more effectively and equitably roll out the practice of teledentistry.
The key activities associated with this 6-month project are to:
Conduct a review of best practices and lessons learned on teledentistry design and implementation.
Plan and organize statewide educational opportunities to increase awareness of the new law and rulemaking process, prioritizing the need to connect with rural, low-income, and disability populations.
Coordinate a two-part multi-stakeholder meeting to develop and release a consensus-based set of recommendations that are consumer-informed, to be submitted to the dental board as a joint response during an upcoming public comment period.
For CareQuest Institute, this speaks to a critical window of opportunity to influence the rollout of teledentistry in a huge state in a way whereby, if done poorly, could drastically impact access to care as well as broader care transformation. As well, given our interest in moving towards COrHT as a core initiative of our work, having a rules process in place in Texas could be pivotal regarding advancing future work in the state.
The budget for this proposal is $66,314 which is primarily associated with the time and materials associated with the above activities, including support for the Texas Oral Health Coalition to be a partner in the work. This grant amount represents about 2% of THI’s total budget.