HOUSE BILL REPORT

                  HB 1627

             As Reported By House Committee On:

                         Health Care

Title:  An act relating to correcting obsolete terminology for the designation of osteopathic physician and surgeon.

Brief Description:  Modernizing osteopathic physician and surgeon terminology.

Sponsors:  Representatives Dyer, Backlund and Thibaudeau.

Brief History:

  Committee Activity:

Health Care:  2/16/95 [DP].

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  Do pass.  Signed by 13 members:  Representatives Dyer, Chairman; Backlund, Vice Chairman; Hymes, Vice Chairman; Dellwo, Ranking Minority Member; Cody, Assistant Ranking Minority Member; Campbell; Casada; Conway; Crouse; Kessler; Morris; Sherstad and Skinner.

Staff:  John Welsh (786-7133).

Background:  Osteopathic physicians and surgeons are licensed to practice osteopathic medicine and surgery in this state.  The tenets of osteopathic medicine and surgery suppose an emphasis on the musculo-skeletal structure of body, and include medical treatment as well as osteopathic manipulative therapy.

Practitioners are referenced in the code officially as osteopathic physicians and surgeons, but there are sections of the code that retain their former designations as osteopaths.  There are also older references to the practice as osteopathy.

Summary of Bill:  The code is purged of obsolete reference of osteopathic physicians and surgeons as osteopaths; as well as the practice of osteopathic medicine and surgery as osteopathy.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

Effective Date:  The bill contains an emergency clause and takes effect on July 1, 1995.

Testimony For:  The bill contains technical changes only, and updates statutory references to osteopathic physicians.

Testimony Against:  None.

Testified:  Jeff Larsen and Hugh Schuetz, Washington Osteopathic Medical Association.