SB 381, as introduced, Yee. Healing arts: chiropractic practice.
Existing law, the Chiropractic Act, enacted by an initiative measure, provides for the licensure and regulation of chiropractors by the State Board of Chiropractic Examiners. Under the act, a license authorizes its holder to practice chiropractic as taught in chiropractic schools or colleges but does not authorize its holder to practice medicine, surgery, osteopathy, dentistry, or optometry.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of physicians and surgeons and osteopathic physicians and surgeons by the Medical Board of California and the Osteopathic Medical Board of California, respectively.
This bill would prohibit a health care practitioner from performing a joint manipulation or joint adjustment, as defined, unless he or she is a licensed chiropractor, physician and surgeon, or osteopathic physician and surgeon. The bill would provide that a health care practitioner who performs a joint manipulation or joint adjustment in violation of these provisions engages in the unlawful practice of chiropractic, which shall constitute, among other things, good cause for the revocation or suspension of the health care practitioner’s license, as specified.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: no. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 734 is added to the Business and
2Professions Code, to read:
(a) Notwithstanding any other law, a health care
4practitioner subject to regulation pursuant to this division shall not
5be authorized to perform a joint manipulation or joint adjustment
6except for the following individuals:
7(1) A chiropractor licensed by the State Board of Chiropractic
8Examiners.
9(2) A physician and surgeon licensed by the Medical Board of
10California.
11(3) An osteopathic physician and surgeon licensed by the
12Osteopathic Medical Board of California.
13(b) A health care practitioner who performs a joint manipulation
14or joint adjustment in
violation of this section engages in the
15unlawful practice of chiropractic, which shall constitute good cause
16for the revocation or suspension of the health care practitioner’s
17license, or any other disciplinary action deemed appropriate by
18the health care practitioner’s licensing board.
19(c) For purposes of this section, “joint manipulation” and “joint
20adjustment” are synonymous terms that describe a method of
21skillful and beneficial treatment where a person uses a direct thrust
22to move the joint of a patient beyond its normal range of motion,
23but without exceeding the limits of anatomical integrity, as taught
24in chiropractic schools or colleges.
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