It’s hard enough for patients to keep up with who has what expertise among the multitude of medical specialties and other members of their health care team. But yet another type of practitioner is trying to put “doctor” in front of their name without appropriate training and regulations.
Language in a bill that would establish licensure for naturopaths is very concerning to Pennsylvania physicians and the Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED), especially the potential latitude it would give naturopaths to expand their scope of practice and also refer to themselves as “physicians.”
“To grant naturopaths the authority to use the word ’physician’ in their title will mislead and confuse patients and potentially lead to serious harm,” said Marilyn Heine, MD, president of PAMED, in her testimony before the state House of Representatives Professional Licensure Committee on Nov. 17, 2011.
Among PAMED’s objections to the bill are that it:
- Would allow naturopaths to order imaging studies, provide barrier contraception, and perform behavioral medicine.
- Gives prescriptive authority to naturopaths in one provision, including antimicrobials and bio-identical hormones, while in another provision would prohibit the prescribing, dispensing, or administering of any controlled substance.
- Loosely defines naturopaths’ scope of practice as that which is “consistent with naturopathic education and training.” This open-ended language does not provide a clear delineation as to what a naturopath may and may not do in treating a patient.
“HB 1717 seeks far more than licensure status here in Pennsylvania,” concluded Dr. Heine. “PAMED recognizes that it takes a team of professionals to successfully treat an ill patient. From the pediatric neurosurgeon to the visiting home nurse, we all work together as a team. But, we cannot allow the lines of professional expertise and qualifications to become blurred.”