HOUSE BILL REPORT

HB 2501

As Passed Legislature

Title:  An act relating to chiropractic care.

Brief Description:  Modifying provisions concerning chiropractics.

Sponsors:  By Representatives Campbell, Cody, Ruderman, Linville, Armstrong, Conway, Darneille, Bush, Kirby, Miloscia, Simpson, Dunn and Casada.

Brief History:

Committee Activity:

Health Care:  1/31/02, 2/7/02 [DP].

Floor Activity:

Passed House: 2/14/02, 97-0.

Senate Amended.

Passed Senate: 3/6/02, 27-19.

House Concurred.

Passed House:  3/11/02, 92-4.

Passed Legislature.

Brief Summary of Bill

$Amends the Chiropractic Practice Act by removing the exclusions of herbal, animal, or botanic medicines in the rendering of dietary advice and nutritional supplementation.

$Allows extremity manipulation procedures to be billed separately from a spinal adjustment.

HOUSE COMMITTEE ON HEALTH CARE

Majority Report:  Do pass. Signed by 11 members: Representatives Cody, Chair; Schual‑Berke, Vice Chair; Campbell, Ranking Minority Member; Alexander, Ballasiotes, Benson, Conway, Darneille, Edwards, Ruderman and Skinner.

Staff:  John Welsh (786‑7133).

Background:

The practice of chiropractic generally deals with the diagnosis and treatment of the vertebral subluxation complex, articular dysfunction, and musculoskeletal disorders through the use of spinal adjustments, among other procedures and services.

It includes dietary advice and recommendation of nutritional supplementation except for medicines of herbal, animal, or botanical origin.

In addition, it includes extremity manipulation complementary and preparatory to a spinal adjustment to support correction of a vertebral subluxation complex, and is considered a part of a spinal adjustment and may not be billed separately from or in addition to a spinal adjustment.

Summary of Bill:

The rendering of dietary advice and recommendation of nutritional supplementation does not exclude medicines of herbal, animal, or botanical origins.

Extremity manipulation is considered as a separate procedure from a spinal adjustment, and may be billed separately or in addition to a spinal adjustment.

Appropriation:  None.

Fiscal Note:  Not Requested.

Effective Date:  Ninety days after adjournment of session in which bill is passed.

Testimony For:  Chiropractors receive training in dietary and nutritional supplements.  The exclusion of natural herbs and medicine is unnecessary and inappropriate for rendering good patient care.  This does not include any prescriptive authority, but mainly vitamins and minerals.

Testimony Against:  Herbal, animal and botanical medicines include every drug.  Chiropractic should not involve advice or recommendation on drugs.

Testified:  (Support) Lori Beilinski, Clay Bartness, Mike Kinnear, and Doug Long, Washington State Chiropractic Association.

(Oppose) Carl Nelson, Washington State Medical Association.