Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Health Clinical Education topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee advances chiropractic bill with accreditation, supervision and patient-consent requirements
Summary
Lawmakers passed SB2050 with amendments that permit accredited chiropractic students to do clinical practice in Hawaii under direct supervision, require CCE accreditation, patient disclosure and written consent, and ask the Board of Chiropractic to report to the legislature.
The House Higher Education Committee voted March 25 to pass SB2050 with amendments that specify accreditation and supervision requirements for chiropractic students who would perform clinical practice in Hawaii.
Nancy Nguyen, executive officer for the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic, described the status quo that students cannot practice in Hawaii without meeting licensing requirements. "Well, currently, statute doesn't allow anyone, practice chiro, practice here without the license," she said, explaining why the board sought rulemaking authority and clearer statutory language to permit supervised student practice.
Dr. Dean Shivers, representing the Hawaii State Chiropractic Association, said the measure aims to attract more chiropractors to the state and to enable residents who trained on the mainland to return and serve local patients. "The main reason we wanna get this bill passed is to attract more chiropractors to the state of Hawaii because there's a shortage," Shivers told the committee.
In response to committee concern that Hawaii currently has no in-state chiropractic school, the chair and members agreed to amendments that: (1) require participating programs to be accredited by the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE); (2) limit student clinical practice to structured clinical education programs affiliated with and approved by accredited institutions; (3) require direct, physical supervision by a licensed chiropractor who is responsible for patient care; (4) require patient disclosure that care is provided by a student and written consent; and (5) direct the Hawaii Board of Chiropractic to submit a report to the legislature on implementation, patient safety and student participation.
The chair said the Consumer Protection Committee should further vet the measure's consumer-safety details; the House committee adopted the chair's recommendation to pass SB2050 with amendments.
What it means: The amended bill opens a pathway for accredited chiropractic educational programs to arrange supervised clinical placements in Hawaii while adding patient-protection measures and a legislative reporting requirement.
