AAPM&R continues to fight against scope expansions at the state level. In October 2023, the Washington Association of Naturopathic Physicians (WANP) submitted a proposal to increase their scope of practice. If passed, the proposal would allow naturopaths to prescribe prescription drugs and controlled substances and would also open the door for them to perform surgery. Your State Advocacy Committee (SAC2) reviewed the proposal and accompanied legislation, immediately identifying the significant threat the scope expansion would pose to patient safety in Washington. In response, SAC2 connected with the Washington State Medical Association and notified Washington members of the threat.
In August 2024, the Washington Health Department released a preliminary report on the naturopath proposal that opposes their scope expansion. The report finds that…
- Naturopaths do not have sufficient minimum education and training to safely prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances.
- Other states that have granted naturopaths prescriptive authority for controlled substances also limit to III-V or implement specific safeguards such as collaboration and supervision requirements or increased oversight by the state medical board.
- The Board of Naturopathy does not include providers with sufficient expertise to evaluate what additional education and training is needed to safely expand the Doctor of Naturopathy (ND) scope of practice.
Your State Advocacy Committee (SAC2) submitted comments on behalf of the Academy in support of the findings in the WA Health Department preliminary report. Scope expansion efforts in one state often lead to scope expansion efforts in numerous states. Your Academy will continue to monitor the progress of the naturopath scope expansion proposal and will continue to fight for quality patient care and to protect the expertise of PM&R physicians. If there a pressing state issue you believe the Academy needs to be aware of, contact healthpolicy@aapmr.org with details.