(a) Except as provided in subsection (b) of this Code section, no care management organization or agent of such care management organization shall deny any dentist from participating in the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids dental program administered by such care management organization if:

(1) Such dentist has obtained a license to practice in this state and is an enrolled provider who has met all of the requirements of the Department of Community Health for participation in the Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids program; and

(2) (A) The licensed dentist will provide dental services to members pursuant to a state or federally funded educational loan forgiveness program that requires such services; provided, however, each care management organization shall be required to offer dentists wishing to participate through such loan forgiveness programs the same contract terms offered to other dentists in the service region who participate in the care management organization's Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids dental programs;

(B) The geographic area in which the dentist intends to practice has been designated as having a dental professional shortage as determined by the Department of Community Health, which may be based on the designation of the Health Resources and Services Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services; or

(C) Such care management organization fails to establish to the satisfaction of the Department of Community Health that a sufficient number of general dentists and specialists have contracted with the care management organization to provide covered dental services to members in the geographic region.

(b) A care management organization may decline to contract with a dentist who meets the requirements of subsection (a) of this Code section if such dentist has had his or her license to practice dentistry sanctioned in any manner or fails to meet the credentialing criteria established by the care management organization. Any dentist denied on this basis shall be entitled to a hearing before an administrative law judge as set forth in subsection (e) of Code Section 49-4-153.

(c) The Department of Community Health shall also provide a means for dentists to request an annual hearing to determine whether a condition described in subparagraph (B) or (C) of paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this Code section exists. The department may compel the attendance of care management organizations or agents of care management organizations to attend such hearings. The department may request additional information as a result of the hearing, and it shall consider matters raised in the hearing when deciding whether a condition described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of this Code section exists.