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Each side gave a little in the dispute over a proposed bill involving dentists and dental companies in North Carolina.
The House voted unanimously earlier this week on a bill that both sides can live with. The new bill will require the State Board of Examiners to adopt new rules that give a larger portion of regulatory oversight of the contracts to the management companies. The new bill may reduce future litigation for the state board. Dentists will also be encouraged to seek legal advice before signing any contract.
The previous form of the bill would have resulted in an even more stringent overview of the contracts.
Prior to this new form of the bill, there were many lobbyists and television commercials involved in the campaign. Both sides spent several hundred thousand dollars during the time leading up to the voting on the bill.
The worry surrounding the issue was that the dental service organization boosters claim that the firms enable dentists to have too much control regarding the costs of their patients.
A six-member task force, including two people associated with the dental service organizations, will now scrutinize the contracts.
The new bill will soon be heading to the desk of North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue.
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