A dental office is considered to be a place of public accommodation and thus is prohibited from discriminating for any reason due to a disability. Accordingly, dental offices are required to provide an interpreter if one is needed to effectively communicate with a hearing-impaired patient.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) previously finalized dental infection control rules in December 2020, and the majority of these rules became effective January 2021. The rules apply to settings wherever dentistry is provided in Washington and include several requirements that dentists must comply with.

WSDA members interested in pursuing or offering professional mentorship are invited to attend the WSDA Mentor Program Virtual Networking Session on Thursday, March 30!

Registration is open now for the 2023 Pacific Northwest Dental Conference, June 15-17 in Seattle! Earn 20+ CE credits, shop the Exhibit Hall (now open on Saturday), enjoy special events and more all for one low price.

Members can register now for two upcoming free virtual CE courses from WSDA and Columbia Bank: "Essential Steps When Selling or Buying a Dental Practice" on March 16 and "Protecting Your Practice Through Adversity" on April 26.

Dental professionals looking for a volunteer opportunity can sign up to volunteer for the 2023 Seattle/King County Clinic, held April 27-30 at Seattle Center.

"We must provide specific, differentiated value for all dentists regardless of how they practice – with benefits aligned to the north star of our mission."

Register for the UW Ernest M. Jones Memorial Lecture – Thriving in a Time of Uncertainty: Key Trends and Opportunities Coming to the Dental Care Sector on Friday, March 24.

Without a vigilant management strategy, credit card processing fees can add up and affect your bottom line. Review tips for minimizing fees from WSDA and ADA endorsed company Best Card.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) has formed a Dental Inclusion Committee to begin rulemaking to comply with health equity education requirements. The Committee will meet on March 29.

The WSDA Leadership Institute is a program designed to foster new leadership in organized dentistry by getting participants involved in a variety of WSDA activities and meetings. Apply by March 31.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) will hold its next business meeting in a hybrid format on Friday, March 10 at 10:00 AM.

The ADA’S Enhanced CDT Task Force is seeking comment from the entire dental community on the proposed framework of dental procedure code modifiers, which would complement — not replace — the CDT Code’s current “Dxxxx” format. The next Enhanced CDT public comment session will be on Feb. 28 from 5:00-5:30 PM Pacific Time.

Friday, Feb. 24 is fiscal committee cutoff, the second major milestone of the 2023 legislative session. This means that bills that have been sent to a fiscal committee must be voted out in order to stay “alive” and continue along in the legislative process. Read for an update on WSDA’s week seven activities in Olympia.

The Department of Labor and Industries (L&I) has created a series of free webinars for both employers and employees, covering employment law topics including workers’ rights, job posting requirements, overtime rules, and the Equal Pay and Opportunities Act.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) will hold a Dental Continuing Competency Committee meeting on March 22.

The Dental Quality Assurance Commission (DQAC) will hold a Dental Collaboration Committee meeting on March 6.

Today is policy committee cutoff, marking the first major milestone of the 2023 legislative session. By 5:00 PM today, bills must be voted out of their policy committee in order to stay “alive” and continue along in the legislative process. Accordingly, this week, the Legislature devoted most of its committee time to executive session work as well as floor action. Read for an update on WSDA’s week six activities in Olympia.