03/01/2010 03:15 PM House LABOR & COMMERCE

                       HB 282-NATUROPATHS                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
5:08:18 PM                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON announced  that the final order of  business would be                                                               
HOUSE BILL  NO. 282, "An Act  relating to naturopaths and  to the                                                               
practice  of  naturopathy;  establishing an  Alaska  Naturopathic                                                               
Medical  Board; authorizing  medical assistance  program coverage                                                               
of naturopathic  services; amending  the definition  of 'practice                                                               
of medicine'; and providing for an effective date."                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
KENDRA KLOSTER,  Staff, Representative Cathy Munoz,  Alaska State                                                               
Legislature, briefly  presented HB  282, on  behalf of  the prime                                                               
sponsor, Representative Cathy  Munoz.  She explained  that HB 282                                                               
would  establish  an  Alaska Naturopathic  Medical  Board.    She                                                               
paraphrased the sponsor statement, which read [original                                                                         
punctuation provided]:                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
     House  Bill 282  creates a  Naturopathic Medical  Board                                                                    
     for  the purpose  of  expanding  allowed practices  and                                                                    
     procedures of Naturopathic  Doctors (NDs) and regulates                                                                    
     the practice  of naturopathic medicine. The  board will                                                                    
     consist of three  naturopaths, one licensed pharmacist,                                                                    
     and one  public member.  The board  will work  with the                                                                    
     Division of  Occupational Licensing to  issue licenses,                                                                    
     and will  have authority to investigate  and discipline                                                                    
     as  required. In  addition,  the  state will  authorize                                                                    
     prescription endorsement which will  be offered for the                                                                    
     first time for  NDs who have practiced  for five years;                                                                    
     participated  in  60  hours of  pharmacology  education                                                                    
     from an approved program; and  met all the requirements                                                                    
     relating to  administration and prescription  of drugs,                                                                    
     vaccinations,  hormones,   and  medical   devices.  The                                                                    
     prescription  endorsement  must  be renewed  every  two                                                                    
     years. The  bill mandates continuing  medical education                                                                    
     of  35  hours  biannually,  15  of  which  must  be  in                                                                    
     pharmacy education.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
     Prescribing authority  will give flexibility to  NDs to                                                                    
     provide  necessary   medical  treatment   to  patients.                                                                    
     Prescription  rights, which  are already  permitted for                                                                    
     advanced nurse  practitioners, will  allow access  to a                                                                    
     range  of commonly  prescribed  medicines  that can  be                                                                    
     used  in  correlation  with naturopathic  treatment  to                                                                    
     improve patient care.                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
     HB  282 will  align  the definition  of a  naturopathic                                                                    
     physician  with  the  U.S. Department  of  Labor  which                                                                    
     released a new definition  of naturopathic physician to                                                                    
     include job titles  of "Naturopathic Doctor, Physician,                                                                    
     and  Doctor  of  Naturopathic  Medicine."  This  is  an                                                                    
     important step in recognizing  NDs as qualified doctors                                                                    
     and primary care physicians.                                                                                               
                                                                                                                                
     Naturopathic   doctors  are   highly  trained   medical                                                                    
     professionals. NDs attend a four-year postgraduate                                                                         
     professional  naturopathic  medical   program  and  are                                                                    
     educated  in the  same basic  sciences as  conventional                                                                    
     medical students.  Studies concentrate on  holistic and                                                                    
     traditional  approaches   to  therapy  with   a  strong                                                                    
     emphasis  on  disease  prevention and  optimization  of                                                                    
     wellness.  Naturopathic doctors  take similar  rigorous                                                                    
     professional  board exams  for  licensure and  continue                                                                    
     educational training each year.                                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
     As   Alaska  continues   to  face   shortages  in   the                                                                    
     healthcare professions,  HB 282  provides an  avenue to                                                                    
     help  fill the  gap  of primary  care physicians.  This                                                                    
     bill   will   reasonably   expand   the   services   of                                                                    
     naturopaths and  follow the responsibilities  set forth                                                                    
     by  the board  while providing  the important  services                                                                    
     for keeping Alaskans healthy.                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
MS. KLOSTER commented that Emily  Kane, Naturopathic Doctor (ND),                                                               
just  brought to  her attention  an excerpt  from the  California                                                               
Bureau   of  Naturopathic   Medicine,  which   states  that   the                                                               
California  Bureau  contacted  the licensing  agencies  for  each                                                               
state  that  allow ND's  to  prescribe.    None of  these  states                                                               
reported any  patient harm  or disciplinary action  due to  an ND                                                               
prescribing  medications.   In addition,  these  states were  not                                                               
aware  of   any  civil  actions  against   ND's  for  prescribing                                                               
medications.                                                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
CHAIR OLSON announced that HB 282 would be held over.