HR-5688 Threatens Scope of Practice

July 25, 2006

July 21, 2006

Greetings Members and OM Colleagues:

As many of you may know, the AMA House of Delegates adopted Resolution

814 that called for the " Scope of Practice Partnership " to study the

qualifications, education and academic requirement of " limited

licensure " health care providers and " limited independent practitioners "

such as licensed acupuncturists, naturopaths, chiropractors and anyone

else besides MDs, DOs, and Dentists. Parallel bills are to be introduced

into the state legislatures. This was reviewed in the July '06

Acupuncture Today.

Shortly after the AMA adopted this resolution, HR-5688 was introduced in

the US Congress, by Mr. SULLIVAN (for himself, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas,

Mr. BASS, Mr. SCHWARZ of Michigan, Mr. BURGESS, Mr. BILIRAKIS, and Mr.

SESSIONS). The principal author's press release is provided.

While the AAOM agrees with concerns about ethics and misrepresentation

of title, this bill could impede your rights to comprehensively treat

our patients. Thus, patients may be prevented from receiving best care.

And, minority cultures could be denied a choice of care.

The AMA has promoted HR-5688 in the pretext of " health care trust and

transparency " to " protect the public. " The bill far exceeds preventing

non MDs from calling themselves doctors or misrepresenting their

training. It may in fact be intended to restrict scopes of practices to

narrow margins, based upon lowest common denominator training. It is

comparative to the crusade the AMA waged against the chiropractors' in

their Committee on Quackery some 30 years ago. In the 30 years that have

passed, the AMA is far savvier about what they restrict to prevent a

restraint of trade charge being filed.

Call to Action

The AAOM Board of Directors have convened a task force comprised of our

Executive Committee to respond to HR-5688, and to that extent, we will

assess the feedback provided (collected up to close of business Monday,

July 24) in formulating a response with the final position forwarded to

our members and the profession-at-large by Friday, July 28.

" In every culture and in every medical tradition before ours, healing

was accomplished by moving energy. " Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, Nobel

Laureate in Medicine

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