Legislature(2003 - 2004)
02/26/2004 01:37 PM Senate L&C
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* first hearing in first committee of referral
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= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
SB 306-NATUROPATHIC MEDICINE
CHAIR CON BUNDE announced SB 306 to be up for consideration.
MR. BRIAN HOVE, staff to Senator Seekins, sponsor of SB 306, was
present to answer questions.
CHAIR BUNDE said he had asked if naturopathic colleges are
associated with traditional colleges and had found that they
aren't. He asked if Mr. Hove knew of any major universities that
offered a degree in naturopathy.
MR. HOVE replied that he wasn't aware of any.
CHAIR BUNDE said the Alaska State Medical Association suggests
that if SB 306 is enacted, it should be amended to keep existing
law pertaining to naturopaths in place and add a subsection that
would hold naturopaths to the same standard of care as licensed
physicians. He asked if anyone wanted to comment on that.
SENATOR SEEKINS asked what the Medical Association defines as
"same standard of care". He forged ahead saying that SB 306
allows naturopaths to practice up to the level of their
education and only prescribe drugs if they have been granted a
Drug Enforcement Association License and perform only minor
surgery.
If it means that naturopaths will have to be held to
the same standard as the doctor in the performance of
those duties, I don't see where anyone would object to
that.... They are under a greater restriction here
than a nurse practitioner or a physician's assistant
and have equivalent or better educational background
to support that....
I think all performing people in the area of medical
practice should be held to the same level of
performance or standard or performance equivalent to
the levels of authority that we're allowing them under
state law, if that's the answer to the question. I
have no problem with that.
CHAIR BUNDE said he had no problem with that either and added
that the Medical Association also wanted to keep the existing
law pertaining to naturopaths in place without prescription
rights, if applicable.
MR. WAYNE ADERHOLD, Homer resident, supported SB 306.
Naturopathic physicians have a right to practice
commensurate with their training and to provide even
more comprehensive primary care to their patients in
Alaska and I have a right to receive that care in my
home state....
MR. ADERHOLD said he uses naturopathic services for 95 percent
of his health care needs and related how he was successfully
treated for melanoma through surgery and non-toxic adjutant
therapy from a naturopathic team in Arizona, spending only
$20,000 out of pocket. Although he felt that the State of Alaska
is somewhat progressive in allowing naturopaths to practice, it
isn't as progressive as Arizona.
Naturopathic health care is supported by informed
consumers throughout this state [Alaska], because it
is effective both medically and financially. Consumers
of naturopathic services are required to take an
active part in decision-making and responsibility for
their own health. Naturopathic physicians are true
followers of the tenant, first do not harm, which
might be your standard care.
MR. ADERHOLD also supported regulations established by the
naturopathic board and informed the committee, "Malpractice
rates on naturopathic physicians are miniscule compared to those
on other physicians."
CHAIR BUNDE asked Mr. Aderhold, in the course of his melanoma
treatment, if he needed a drug that a naturopathic doctor could
have prescribed, but was not able to because of existing law.
MR. ADERHOLD replied that because he received his initial
treatment in Arizona, where naturopaths can write prescriptions
for regulated drugs, he was able to receive the one he needed.
He received mostly unregulated drugs.
MR. MICHAEL YOURKOWSKI, Homer resident, said he is a patient of
Dr. Patrick Huffman, ND, in Homer and his wife is a nurse
practitioner who works in association with him. "Together they
provide complementary medicine that patients really benefit
from."
He stressed the importance of the licensing board and the
legitimacy it would provide for people who practice naturopathy
in Alaska. He claimed his wife is a nurse practitioner and has
the right to prescribe medicine while her naturopathic
associate, who has more education, cannot.
MS. SHEVAUN TONSETH, Anchorage resident, said she fully trusts
her naturopathic doctor, Dr. Kayce Rose, and prefers to go to
her for all of her primary care instead of going to her and
another doctor. "I feel she should be able to prescribe or do
minor surgeries to what her training is...."
DR. DAVID NEWIRTH, ND, Anchorage, supported SB 306, "Based on
the fact that we do have the training we're asking to be able to
practice to that level."
CHAIR BUNDE asked him to comment on the Medical Association's
request that naturopaths be held to the same standard of care
and whether there is a different standard of care at this point.
DR. NEWIRTH replied that he didn't really know the particulars,
but he didn't see that there should be any difference in the
standard of care.
DR. KAYCE ROSE, ND, said she thought that the standard of care
is what is really at stake in SB 306.
To be able to insure that our patients are able to
receive the care that is most efficacious, most
appropriate, for whatever they are experiencing at the
time is contingent on our ability to be able to
prescribe medicine when appropriate. Our education
allows us to be the most well-trained physicians for
primary care out there because we have such a broad
spectrum of opportunities of types of therapies that
we do offer.
DR. ROSE said her patients might have to spend health care
dollars twice to get the same type of care. She related an
actual experience in which one of her patients had dangerously
high blood sugar and couldn't wait the three months to see an
endocrinologist who could prescribe the appropriate medication
and couldn't afford going to a more emergent type of health care
facility.
DR. ROSE said that naturopathic colleges are not extensions of
traditional medical schools, but they are accredited
universities and are held to the same standards as any other
university.
DR. MADELEINE MORRISON-YOUNG, ND, said she has practiced in
Eagle River for seven years. She supported all the previous
testimony and said her education included training in
antibiotics and hormones.
To be a primary care physician and doing gynecology
every day and giving people pap smears, but being
unable to prescribe them their birth control pills,
has been a real struggle in my practice for not only
obviously myself, because it's frustrating, but
financially for my patients. Sending them off with
their annuals and their pap results to another
practitioner so that they can get a simple birth
control prescription is frustrating.
DR. YOUNG said that naturopaths have been using bio-identical,
naturally compounded hormones for years and consider themselves
specialists in the area. She supported SB 306.
MS. PAMELA HANSEN, Kenai resident, supported SB 306 saying that
she, her husband and her mother use naturopathic health care.
She would like their doctor to be able to provide them all the
care they need, i.e. full prescriptive rights and the right to
do minor surgery. The state she originally came from gave these
full rights to naturopaths in 1962 and she was amazed to find
that Alaska didn't.
MS. JANE SIMONS, Kasilof resident, testified as a mother and a
senior. She has an adult disabled son who is 24 years old and
she said they are both receiving Medicaid. She is forced to use
a medical doctor who accepts Medicare and Medicaid, because she
cannot afford to pay for health care out-of-pocket. "The care
that works for us is naturopathic care."
DR. TORREY SMITH, ND, said he has practiced in Anchorage since
1992 and supported SB 306. He wanted the freedom to use the
skills he has and feels are most appropriate for his patients.
He also wants to be able to give patients the choices they would
like to have and need in dealing with their health care issues.
CHAIR BUNDE noted that he hadn't heard a single person testify
against this bill, but he still was searching for the answer to
the question of the same standard of care that the Medical
Association has asked about. He would let the bill move from
committee today with the proviso that he could amend it if it
was necessary.
SENATOR SEEKINS moved to pass SB 306 from committee with
individual recommendations and attached fiscal note. Senators
French, Seekins, Stevens and Bunde voted yea; and SB 306 moved
from committee.
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