From Deseret News archives:
Chiropractors may get a break on acupuncture
SB249 would change current rule into a law
Currently, acupuncturists must undergo 2,000 hours of training to get a state license, while chiropractors can get licensed as acupuncturists by completing just 200 hours of training after their postgraduate work, Utah Chiropractors Physicians Association executive director Tim Apgood said.
Though the law would only impact about a dozen of the approximately 700 chiropractors in the state who practice acupuncture, SB249's opponents are concerned about the black eye it could leave on the acupuncture profession, said Dan Jones, a bureau manager for the Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing.
"They don't feel that chiropractors are qualified to perform acupuncture with only 200 hours of training," he said.
But since chiropractors are categorized as primary care physicians, the 200-hour licensing process is all it takes for them to obtain certification according to state law, practicing chiropractor Jim Knight said.
With 29 other states allowing chiropractors to practice acupuncture after an average of just 100 hours of training, Knight said opponents of the bill fear more competition will cut into their business.
"In my opinion, it's just a jealousy thing. There's a lot of misinformation out there because this has become a very emotional issue," he said.
The bill's sponsor, Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, said he anticipates opposition to the measure when it's presented to the Senate Health and Human Services Standing Committee today.
But Buttars also said his bill has drawn support from the Attorney General's Office, which in a Jan. 27 opinion supported a 1995 statute passed by Utah lawmakers that implemented the 200-hour threshold and allowed DOPL to set up its own policies and procedures for licensing acupuncture and chiropractic.
In another move that helped Buttars' bill, a Senate committee Tuesday thwarted an attempt to limit DOPL's scope in licensing chiropractors hoping to practice acupuncture. Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, introduced SB22, which would have eliminated the 200-hour rule from state statute but had that provision amended out of his bill before it passed through a committee Feb. 10.
E-mail: abenson@desnews.com
