AN ACT Relating to
chiropractic care; and amending RCW 18.25.005 and 18.25.006.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF
WASHINGTON:
Sec. 1. RCW 18.25.005 and 1994
sp.s. c 9 s 102 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) Chiropractic is the
practice of health care that deals with the diagnosis or analysis and care or
treatment of the vertebral subluxation complex and its effects, articular
dysfunction, and musculoskeletal disorders, all for the restoration and
maintenance of health and recognizing the recuperative powers of the body.
(2) Chiropractic
treatment or care includes the use of procedures involving spinal adjustments,
and extremity manipulation ((insofar as any such procedure is complementary
or preparatory to a chiropractic spinal adjustment)). Chiropractic
treatment also includes the use of heat, cold, water, exercise, massage,
trigger point therapy, dietary advice and recommendation of nutritional
supplementation ((except for medicines of herbal, animal, or botanical
origin)), the normal regimen and rehabilitation of the patient, first aid,
and counseling on hygiene, sanitation, and preventive measures. Chiropractic
care also includes such physiological therapeutic procedures as traction and
light, but does not include procedures involving the application of sound,
diathermy, or electricity.
(3) As part of a
chiropractic differential diagnosis, a chiropractor shall perform a physical
examination, which may include diagnostic x-rays, to determine the
appropriateness of chiropractic care or the need for referral to other health
care providers. The chiropractic quality assurance commission shall provide by
rule for the type and use of diagnostic and analytical devices and procedures
consistent with this chapter.
(4) Chiropractic care
shall not include the prescription or dispensing of any medicine or drug, the
practice of obstetrics or surgery, the use of x-rays or any other form of
radiation for therapeutic purposes, colonic irrigation, or any form of
venipuncture.
(5) Nothing in this
chapter prohibits or restricts any other practitioner of a "health
profession" defined in RCW 18.120.020(4) from performing any functions or
procedures the practitioner is licensed or permitted to perform, and the term
"chiropractic" as defined in this chapter shall not prohibit a practitioner
licensed under chapter 18.71 RCW from performing medical procedures, except
such procedures shall not include the adjustment by hand of any articulation of
the spine.
Sec. 2. RCW 18.25.006 and 1994
sp.s. c 9 s 103 are each amended to read as follows:
Unless the context
clearly requires otherwise, the definitions in this section apply throughout
this chapter.
(1)
"Department" means the department of health.
(2)
"Secretary" means the secretary of the department of health or the
secretary's designee.
(3)
"Chiropractor" means an individual licensed under this chapter.
(4)
"Commission" means the Washington state chiropractic quality
assurance commission.
(5) "Vertebral
subluxation complex" means a functional defect or alteration of the biomechanical
and physiological dynamics in a joint that may cause neuronal disturbances,
with or without displacement detectable by x-ray. The effects of the vertebral
subluxation complex may include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
Fixation, hypomobility, hypermobility, periarticular muscle spasm, edema, or
inflammation.
(6) "Articular
dysfunction" means an alteration of the biomechanical and physiological
dynamics of a joint of the axial or appendicular skeleton.
(7)
"Musculoskeletal disorders" means abnormalities of the muscles,
bones, and connective tissue.
(8) "Chiropractic
differential diagnosis" means a diagnosis to determine the existence of a
vertebral subluxation complex, articular dysfunction, or musculoskeletal
disorder, and the appropriateness of chiropractic care or the need for referral
to other health care providers.
(9) "Chiropractic
adjustment" means chiropractic care of a vertebral subluxation complex,
articular dysfunction, or musculoskeletal disorder. Such care includes manual
or mechanical adjustment of any vertebral articulation and contiguous
articulations beyond the normal passive physiological range of motion.
(10)
"Extremity manipulation" means a corrective thrust or maneuver
applied to a joint of the appendicular skeleton. ((The use of extremity
manipulation shall be complementary and preparatory to a chiropractic spinal
adjustment to support correction of a vertebral subluxation complex and is
considered a part of a spinal adjustment and shall not be billed separately
from or in addition to a spinal adjustment.))
