profession
Calif. physicians object to expanded scope for chiropractors
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted March 22, 2010
California physicians have raised concerns about new regulations affirming chiropractors' ability to perform manipulation under anesthesia.
The rules, adopted in February by the California Board of Chiropractic Examiners, require, for example, that patients seeking MUA first be examined by a physician and that the anesthesia be administered by a physician or other qualified health professional. The board said the regulations were aimed at improving the chiropractic standard of care and patient safety.
But state medical board officials and physician organizations, including the California Medical Assn. and the California Society of Anesthesiologists, testified at public hearings that MUA falls outside chiropractors' scope of practice and puts patients at risk. Physicians said the procedure is akin to surgery and involves the use of drugs -- which pose dangers that only physicians are qualified to treat and are prohibited in chiropractic practice.
The regulations are set to take effect April 16.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2010/03/22/prbf0322.htm.
