FW: TBCE Scope of Practice Workshop Report

[Guest guest]

Dear Colleagues, Friends,

The PDF below has made it around the

country and back to me which is great. I wish to call to your attention a

related issue that I have been dealing with with the Oregon Naturopathic board.

All of this is public so I do not feel that I am not breaching any

confidentiality.

The Naturopathic school in Portland does not teach

dry needling. Given that dry needling is not taught in the Naturopathic school

I asked the Oregon Board of Naturopathic Examiners (OBNE) how many hours of

post graduate training they required before a Naturopath could practice it. (Remember

I posted a PDF a while back from the OBNE that stated 2 hours of training was

required for trigger point injection.) The OBNE refused to answer my question

directly only saying that dry needling was in their scope of practice and if I had

a complaint about a Naturopath to file one. I then proved to them that it was

not taught in the school and again asked them, given that fact, how many hours

were required in order to practice Dry Needling. Same reply, ‘file a

complaint’.

Finally, as I continued to question them,

the matter was to come before their board in early December. After the board

meeting I asked for their decision on hours required. I was told they were now

considering things with their lawyer. I replied telling them that there were a

number of NDs right now practicing Dry Needling and to leave them in the lurch

without the board stating affirmatively that Dry Needling was in their scope of

practice and that a certain numbers of hours of training was sufficient for

training was to leave NDs in potential jeopardy with health insurers and with

malpractice insurers.

Guess what? No reply. No public document

posted on their website. No formal notice to practicing NDs about any ‘legal’

issues. Nothing. Silence.

I am surprised yet I am not surprised. Are

we doing something wrong?.... If you only knew the merry go round that it took

to get our board to understand and rule on Dry Needling and then to wrestle

over the number of hours required for training your head would split open. Yet

here is a board who rules by just stating it is in our scope and nothing more,

even when asked directly.

I imagine the PDF below made it into their

hands as it is addressed to ‘Executive Director, Health Regulatory Board’.

The OBNE is a ‘Health Regulatory Board’. Assuming they now have the

letter, and my continued communications with them which have been after the

date of the letter, December 7th, 2011, you would think they would

make some sort of statement to their profession. But no.

Back to my question: ‘ Are we doing

something wrong?’ :

My answer – Yes.

My remedy – Review all of our laws

and move to expand our scope of practice to the full extent of our laws so we

can practice state of the art care. This includes OB

and minor surgery. Then when asked in the future about our scope, take the same

position as the OBNE of blind neglect, and go forth. And never, never look

back.

s.fuchs dc

In a message dated 12/19/2011 10:53:55

A.M. Pacific Standard Time, sharronf@...

writes:

The Oregon

Medical Board is also trying to ‘regulate’ our profession:

http://egov.oregon.gov/PTBrd/docs/Current.Topics/OMB.Position.Letter.12.11.pdf

s.

fuchs dc

From: Vern

Saboe [mailto:vsaboe@...]

Sent: Saturday, December 17, 2011

10:32 AM

Sharron Fuchs; Sears

Cc:

Subject: Re: TBCE

Scope of Practice Workshop Report

Thanks for the kind words ,

Yes, colleagues the Oregon Chiropractic Association is

all over this issue and as your ACA Delegate and member of the ACA's Insurance

Commission we have been discussing this for sometime and now with a sense of

urgency following the unanticipated defeat in Texas.

The basic strategy of the OCA is that of education.

Education as per the substantial education doctors of chiropractic receive in

their four year training leading to our degree of " Doctor of

Chiropractic. " Education...as in educating each and every Oregon

Legislative Member as well as the state's other key policy makers both within Oregon's

governmental agencies and within the private sector. How? ..and What? By giving

them the significant core curriculum at UWS vs OHSU which the OCA has

already put together which by the way (drum roll please) is 1,100

clock hours longer that the 4-year medical degree program at OHSU!

We are also putting together a summary of the substantial post-doctorate

diplomate programs leading to Board Certification status within the

profession as well as the various new (we won't say they are new) advance

degree programs such as the UWS new Masters of Science in Nutrition and

Functional Medicine.

Education to the subsequent clinical skill sets

chiropractic physician posses relative to the above education not the

least of which includes our ability to provide correlative and

differential diagnoses and as such have the clinical ability to act as

portal of entry physicians. As first contact, portal of entry

physician types we have the critical clinical capacity to interpret X-ray

and lab findings, conduct comprehensive physical examinations, conduct and/or

order and interpret ancillary diagnostic studies such as CT, MRIs, nerve

conduction studies, nuclear medicine (bone & S.P.E.C.T. scans), ect., and

arrive at a clinical impression. In short the OCA is educating the

key policy makers that because of these skill sets we have the expert

ability to recognize pathophysiological conditions that may masquerade as

simple musculoskeletal complaints such as low back pain and that which may

require immediate or timely attention/referral and we do that daily!

The Oregon Chiropractic Association which again here

being another example of how the OCA is looking out for

you, will also educate our enemies who would darn attempt to influence or

restrict our scope of practice here in the great state of Oregon

with miss-information or miss-represent to legislators as per our

significant training, clinical skills, and wonderful services (with high

consumer satisfaction, improved safety, and reduce per capita costs....oh did I

mention....you can bet I will to our enemies, that this just happens to be

the Triple Aim Governor Kitzhaber wants to achieved here in Oregon!) that

here is the " line in the sand " if you darn to cross that line and

come to the microphone and lie to our elected officials in public testimony the

OCA will make you PAY AND MAKE YOUR PAY DEARLY! So bring

it on " Oregon Medical Association " make our day!!!!!!!!

Well that's what your trade organization is doing to

protect our scope of practive and as such help all colleagues by our

actions what are you doing to help doctor? We need your financial help,

we need your input, your ideas, we need your support, we need you

to finally become a member of the OCA and WE NEED IT NOW!!!

Please call the OCA office at 503-256-1601 call today yes

today you can leave a message for staff to get you signed up ASAP....you can do

so for only $66/month! Or go to the OCA webpage and sign up as a member

its easy its the GREAT BIG GREEN BUTTON THAT SAYS JOIN NOW!

If you need help, if you have any questions, if you have any ideas call me any

time on my cell 541-231-4528.

The Oregon Chiropractic Association is the strongest it has

ever been we are over 500 doctors strong help make us stronger, add your

shoulder to that great stone wheel so many colleagues have been pushing up that

mountain for so very long we are nearing the top which leads to that level

playing field for us all and cultural authority for the profession and we are

going to arrive TOGETHER!

TO THE CONTINUED GOOD FIGHT!

Vern Saboe.....541-231-4528 PS: See what you went and did

!

Re: TBCE Scope of Practice Workshop Report

This is how the world looks without a state having an Uncle Vern

to represent patient needs

and choices. This is how a state looks where the Guv hasn't

had an Uncle Vern to show them

chiropractors are an excellent source of primary

care physicians. But Rick is no Kitzhaber,

so more is needed to avoid this kind of turf war than a

super-lobbyist. What's needed is a

united chiropractic profession that keeps patient well-being as

the prize. Oregon

is such a model.

Sears, DC, IAYT

1218 NW 21st Ave

Portland, Oregon

97209

v: 503-225-0255

f: 503-525-6902

www.docbones.com

On Dec 16, 2011, at 2:35 PM, Sharron Fuchs wrote:

http://texasjournalofchiropractic.eznuz.com/article/Featured_News/Association_News/TBCE_Scope_of_Practice_Workshop_Report/24534

I don’t think this logic would fly here in Oregon.

:

‘Board members and attendees shared their

perspectives. One of the key concepts stated by TBCE board members

related to diagnosis. It was stated by a board member that the doctor's " intention, as reflected by documentation, is what

determines if treatment is in or out of scope [of practice]. Diagnosis is

reflective of your intention for treatment. " The board

member reflected that if you are treating an organ you are outside your scope.

If you are treating a disease you are outside scope. " I don't want to argue about when does a dysfunction become

a disease. "

Thus, while it is possible for a patient to have a myriad of

conditions/diseases, it is the viewpoint of

members of the TBCE that the diagnosis is that for which you intend to render

treatment. As the treatment protocols and scope of the chiropractic

profession are limited by legal statute, it is important that doctors of

chiropractic note that their diagnosis should be limited to that for which they

intend to render treatment. It is also important to note that current

members of the TBCE feel that treating an organ or treating a disease is

outside of scope. The committee discussed various types of

diagnosis--definitive, provisional, working, differential, and others--and is

working towards defining the diagnosis types used within the chiropractic

profession.’

s. fuchs dc