Alternative Medicine Debated by Nevada Legislators

As more people turn to alternative practitioners for their medical needs, Nevada needs better regulation of alternative medicine to protect consumers, lawmakers were told Wednesday.

Sen. Mike Schneider, D-Las Vegas, said some doctors can't do alternative therapies because the regulatory structure isn't there. He asked the Senate Commerce and Labor committee to pass five bills affecting alternative medicine.

The main part of Schneider's plan is SB432, which would get rid of the state Board of Homeopathic Medical Examiners and replace it with a board regulating "complementary integrative medicine," or alternative medicine. Schneider said the current board's authority is too narrow in focus.

That bill also changes the makeup and scope of several other state regulatory boards.

SB413 would mandate that insurance companies accept "ABC Codes," a new type of coding system that has more detail about alternative therapies. Using that system would make it easier for practitioners such as chiropractors, massage therapists and homeopathic doctors, said its supporters.

Using ABC codes could make it easier for massage therapists to get respect -- and money -- from insurance companies, said Billie Shea, head of Nevada's Board of Massage Therapy. But she worried that other aspects of Schneider's proposals could over-regulate some massage therapists.

Non-medical massage therapists don't make more than $40,000 or $50,000 annually, and already have to pay for multiple business and professional licenses, she said.

Larry Matheis, director of the Nevada State Medical Association, opposed all the bills. Schneider's approach wouldn't do anything to integrate alternative medicine into the existing health care system, which already is occurring, said Matheis. Rather, it would create a new state bureaucracy that could endanger patient safety, he said.

The existing medical boards offer sufficient regulation while Schneider's plan would allow unlicensed practitioners to get into the medical field, Matheis said.

"That is a dangerous step," said Matheis. "Your responsibility is patient safety, is public safety. If you're going to err, you have to err on that side."

Deborah Klein, representing the Nevada Dietetic Association, said proposed regulations for "medical nutritionists" in SB432 were vague and should be stricken. They would deceive the public into believing that nutritionists are qualified to do what dietitians do, said Klein.

"Basically, anyone can call themselves a nutritionist," said Klein. "However, they do not have the qualifications of a registered dietitian."

Some of the opposition to his bills came from traditional practitioners who "don't want to give anything up," said Schneider.

"The goal is to get more health care to more people are a more reasonable price," he said.