Our Quest for Licensure
Illinois citizens seeking
naturopathic treatment deserve peace of mind, protection and assurance
that their provider has achieved established education and medical
training standards. Licensure means professional medical standards must
be met.
Why Illinois Should License Naturopathic Physicians...
- Public Safety
By establishing
licensure for naturopathic physicians, the public can be assured of the
physician-level naturopathic medical training of these healthcare
professionals.
The public deserves
the peace-of-mind and protection of knowing that naturopathic
physicians have met established educational and medical training
standards.
Without licensure,
there is no way for a member of the public to discern who is
legitimately qualified to practice naturopathic medicine. In the state
of Illinois, anyone can use the title “naturopathic doctor” or “ND” and
assert that they are qualified to practice naturopathic medicine. This
includes those individuals who have obtained a certificate from a
naturopathic diploma mill institution, or a web-based agency. An
individual seeking healthcare from these unqualified individuals may
experience harm from delayed or incorrect diagnoses, harmful
treatments, and fraudulent claims and associated expense.
- Professional Accountability
Like other medical
professionals in the state, licensure for naturopathic physicians will
provide direct accountability for care and treatment according to
standards enforced by professional regulators at the State of Illinois.
While you can never fully guarantee
“public safety” from any doctor, the fact is that the public needs some
mechanism or standard to be able to tell the difference between the
untrained and the highly trained. In licensed jurisdictions, all
practitoners must meet the required educational and testing standards
in order to practice as a naturopathic doctor. Also, in licensed
jurisdictions, all the potential patient has to do is call the
licensing board or look on the web site to find out if the naturopathic
doctor that they want to see is qualified. A licensing statute would
establish a Board to oversee naturopathic doctors. Any member of the
public who feels harmed by a member of the naturopathic profession can
report this to the Board who is statutorily obligated to investigate
this complaint. Any wrongdoing results in fines and, in some cases,
revocation of the doctor’s license to practice. In this way, the
public’s safety is protected.
- Universal Access to Naturopathic Treatment
By establishing
licensure for naturopathic physicians, patients will be allowed access
to effective, science-based natural healing therapies employed by
highly trained professionals.
Without a license,
qualified (CNME approved program graduates) naturopathic doctors cannot
practice to the full scope of their education and training. Currently,
without licensure, NDs are unable to diagnose or to provide
naturopathic treatment in the state of Illinois.
- Beneficial Affect on other Licensed Medical Professionals
Naturopathic licensure will increase
collaborative health care and will provide patients with the most
effective integrated care possible. Naturopathic doctors are trained to
refer their patients to conventional medical doctors for additional
diagnosis and conventional treatments. Many conventional doctors want a
licensed provider of natural medicine to whom they can confidently
refer their patients for natural therapies.
HR0095 was a house resolution that formed a task force to study naturopathic medicine, hold necessary public hearings and report back to the House. A scheduled hearing took place in the Fall of 2009.
In February 2010... the Naturopathic Medical Practice Act was introduced in the Illinois legislature. The bill sponsors are Representatives Dan Reitz and Angelo Saviano. Rep. Reitz currently chairs the Health Care Licenses Committee of the House. This act provides for the regulation of naturopathic physicians through licensure by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and establishes the Board of Naturopathic Medicine, the Naturopathic Childbirth Attendance Advisory Committee, and the Naturopathic Formulary Committee. It also sets forth provisions concerning licensure, scope of practice, duties of the Department, and administrative procedure. It amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act to add naturopathic physicians who issue a prescription for a controlled substance in accordance with the naturopathic formulary to the definition of "prescriber". (www.ilga.gov/legislation). Although much work needs to be down to support the passage of the Bill, the ILANP is pleased to see a Bill that reflects the training and capabilities of naturopathic physicians in the legislative process in Illinois.
Your donations go to help the ILANP achieve licensure in Illinois.
We'd love to hear from you!
The Illinois Association of Naturopathic Physicians
200 East Roosevelt Road
Lombard, IL 60148
Phone: 630.889.6446
Email: info@ilanp.org