Ohio Legislative Update

Ohio is moving closer into alignment with national legislative trends for the practice of acupuncture with the passage of SB 245. Senator Kirk Schuring introduced SB 245 on behalf of the Ohio Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (OAAOM) in November 2007. The bill passed in the Senate with a 30-1 vote and in the House of Representatives with a vote of 97-0 on May 13. The bill is ready for Governor Ted Strickland to sign. Ohio’s conservative nature is reflected in the current acupuncture practice law that requires acupuncturists to have a referral from a physician or chiropractor prior to treating a patient. Subsequent to the referral, the physician or chiropractor is required to supervise the treatments. SB 245 will lift the referral and supervision requirement for practitioners who have practiced for at least 12 months without disciplinary action from the Ohio State Medical Board.

Lessons Learned

OAAOM entered the legislative fray when chiropractors began legislative efforts to practice acupuncture in Ohio. Although OAAOM was unable to stop the legislation, OAAOM was able to increase the hours of training and improve course content for chiropractors practicing acupuncture in Ohio. OAAOM used that experience and our new ties to legislators to move forward with legislation to improve the practice of acupuncture in Ohio for acupuncturists. OAAOM renewed a relationship with Senator Kirk Schuring, who sponsored the legislation that gave acupuncturists the right to practice in Ohio in 2000.

While working on the chiropractor legislation, OAAOM continued to hear common themes from legislators--do your homework, propose small steps, maintain professionalism at all times. Our first goal was to meet with other interested parties to find the level of comfort the medical associations and the medical board had with an improved practice law. Next, we began to study the steps other states had taken to improve their practice laws by reading practice laws from those states. We drafted our ideas with Senator Schuring and our lobbyist, Terrence O’Donnell of Bricker & Eckler. To build the highest level of professionalism in the eyes of the legislators, we asked Betsy Smith from NCCAOM to testify in subcommittee hearings to bolster the legislators’ understanding of the rigorous national training and testing standards for acupuncturists.

SB 245 had no opposition in subcommittee hearings and passed in the Senate and House within six months with unanimous positive votes in subcommittee hearings. OAAOM listened to the legislators and the outcome is promising for acupuncturists in Ohio.

The Long Road Ahead

SB 245 will greatly enhance the practice of acupuncture in Ohio, but Ohio acupuncturists are still unable to practice the full scope of Oriental Medicine. The Ohio State Medical Board has clearly stated that the practice of herbs is not part of the scope of practice for acupuncturists in Ohio. OAAOM felt that adding the practice of herbs to SB 245 would have jeopardized the ability to lift the referral and supervision requirement. OAAOM knows that future legislative efforts will be necessary to continue to bring Ohio into true alignment with the full scope of Oriental Medicine. SB 245 offers an opportunity for the expansion of the practice of acupuncture in Ohio. We have completed one step on our journey and continue to look forward to the future of Oriental Medicine in Ohio.

Carrie Craddock, Registered Acupuncturist, OAAOM Legislative Chair