Legislature(2007 - 2008)BELTZ 211
01/22/2008 01:30 PM Senate LABOR & COMMERCE
| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| SB28 | |
| SB107 | |
| SB147 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | SB 147 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 120 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 28 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 107 | TELECONFERENCED | |
SB 107-NATUROPATHS
CHAIR ELLIS announced SB 107 to be up for consideration. He said
the committee had proposed CSSB 107(L&C) 25-LS0702\E before it.
2:02:18 PM
DANA OWEN, staff to Senator Ellis, explained that SB 107
proposes to establish a structure that would regulate an
expanded scope of practice for naturopaths in the State of
Alaska.
MR. OWEN noted that the title of the CS had been changed to
reflect some of the changes. The first major change was on page
3, line 12. He explained that structure of the previous bill had
two bodies that would regulate the practice of naturopathy; one
would be a formulary commission and the other an advisory
committee.
This CS proposes to combine those two bodies into one called the
Alaska Naturopathic Council - a concern of the Division of
Occupational Licensing. The membership would consist of three
naturopaths - one from outside the third judicial district, one
would be a pharmacist and one would be a public member who may
be a physician. This council retains all the powers and duties
ascribed to each of the bodies in the previous bill.
He noted that regarding the public member, physicians did not
want to be forced into participating in this process over a
concern for liability.
CHAIR ELLIS clarified that it was part of the CS, but it needed
to be fully discussed.
MR. OWEN said Section 8 of the original bill was deleted in the
CS; it amended the duties of the State Medical Board to include
appointing a member of the Formulary Council, which was dropped
in the CS. Section 10 has transitional provisions that reflect
the blending of the two bodies.
2:04:15 PM
SENATOR BUNDE asked if the makeup of the council had changed
other than the medical doctor.
MR. OWEN replied the numbers are the same as had been proposed
for the Formulary Council before; the advisory committee had
three members, but that was expanded with the combining.
SENATOR BUNDE observed that most other councils have more public
participation. In this case there is only one public member.
TOM OBERMEYER, Staff to Senator Davis, sponsor of SB 107 stepped
in to explain that the CS follows the general direction of the
original bill, but it has changed substantially. He said the
Alaska State Medical Association rejected this bill because it
includes minor surgery and pharmaceutical use. The current
version essentially waters down the controls that had been
implemented in the initial bill by creating just one board that
is supposed to be supervising everything - discipline,
continuing education, pharmacy and the selection of all legend
drugs by a pharmacist that is presumably appointed who also
responsible for the drugs to be used along with IVs. The concern
is that this practice is being changed into what the Medical
Association would call primary care physicians. Naturopaths are
not allowed to use the title "physician," but the four
institutions that license them give them certificates of
naturopathic physicians.
Their main concern is that the public cannot be adequately
protected - since physicians don't want to have any part of it
and there will not be enough oversight to control everything.
He said the State Medical Association pointed out in a letter to
rd
this committee last year that the 23 legislature had appointed
a task force that did not fulfill its obligation of reporting
the comparison of the training of medical doctors - their
continuing internships and extensive hospital practice while
they are in medical school - to that of naturopaths.
CHAIR ELLIS asked if he had any comments about Senator Bunde's
concern regarding the amount of public participation on the new
board.
MR. OBERMEYER replied that Massachusetts had a task force in
2002 that recommended a nine-member board. It was to include
only three or four naturopaths and the remainder would be from
the other medical professions and maybe a public member or two.
So, it was an expanded board compared to this one. He said this
is essentially a self-regulated board and it was determined by
Massachusetts that naturopaths could not and should not
supervise themselves. He said that naturopathy is growing in
this country and he thought the state could work with the
version they have.
CHAIR ELLIS summarized that the committee should consider having
more than one public member.
MR. OBERMEYER agreed.
2:12:28 PM
CHAIR ELLIS asked for any other requests from the committee.
SENATOR BUNDE said he wanted to hear from the Division of
Occupational Licensing and that he was disappointed the report
on training comparison didn't get back to them because he
thought he heard some inaccuracies in the report last year and
had asked for them to report back.
2:13:47 PM
SENATOR STEVENS said he didn't remember discussions on
prescriptions and he wanted to know more about the ability
naturopaths were being given for prescribing drugs.
CHAIR ELLIS announced that SB 107 and the CS would be held over
for further hearings.
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