BILL ANALYSIS
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | SB 620|
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THIRD READING
Bill No: SB 620
Author: Wiggins (D)
Amended: As introduced
Vote: 21
SENATE BUSINESS, PROF. & ECON. DEVELOP. COMM : 8-1, 4/13/09
AYES: Negrete McLeod, Wyland, Corbett, Florez, Oropeza,
Romero, Walters, Yee
NOES: Aanestad
NO VOTE RECORDED: Correa
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE : Senate Rule 28.8
SUBJECT : Healing arts: osteopathic physicians and
surgeons
SOURCE : Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of
California
DIGEST : This bill requires a licensed osteopathic
physician and surgeon (D.O.) to report to the Osteopathic
Medical Board of California (OMBC) at the time of license
renewal, any specialty board certification and their
practice status, as defined. This bill also allows a D.O.
to report, and the OMBC to collect, information regarding
his or her cultural background, and foreign language
proficiency. Information collected may be placed on the
OMBC's Internet website.
ANALYSIS : Existing law:
CONTINUED
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1.Establishes the Osteopathic Act of 1922 by voter
initiative to regulate the practice of osteopathic
medicine. Establishes the OMBC to license, regulate and
discipline D.O.s. Specifies that the policy of the state
of California is that holders of M.D. degrees and D.O.
degrees are accorded equal professional status and
privileges as licensed physicians and surgeons.
2.Establishes the Medical Board of California (MBC) to
license, regulate, and discipline physicians and
surgeons, and specifies that the protection of the public
is the highest priority of the MBC.
3.Requires a physician and surgeon licensed by the MBC to
report at the time of license renewal, any specialty
board certification and their practice status, as
defined. Allows a physician and surgeon to report and
the MBC to collect, information regarding his or her
cultural background and foreign language proficiency.
Allows information collected to be aggregated on an
annual basis and reported on the MBC's Internet website.
4.Establishes the Office of Statewide Health Planning and
Development (OSHPD) is to, among other things, analyze
health care infrastructure, promote a diverse and
competent health care workforce, provide information
about health care outcomes. Establishes the California
Health Care Workforce Clearinghouse Program
(clearinghouse) within OSHPD to serve as the state's
central source of healthcare workforce and educational
data. The clearinghouse was established by SB 139
(Scott), Chapter 522, Statutes of 2007, and is currently
in development, and will serve as the central source for
collection, analysis, and distribution of information on
the health care workforce employment and educational data
trends for the state.
This bill:
1.Requires a licensed D.O. to report to the OMBC, at the
time of license renewal, any specialty board
certification that he or she holds that is issued by a
member board of the American Board of Medical Specialties
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or approved by the OMBC, and his or her practice status.
2.Designates practice status as one of the following:
A. Full-time practice in California.
B. Full-time practice outside of California.
C. Part-time practice in California.
D. Medical administrative employment that does
not include direct patient care.
E. Retired.
F. Other practice status, as may be further
defined by the OMBC.
3.Allows a licensed D.O. to report and the OMBC to collect,
at the time of license renewal, information regarding his
or her cultural background and foreign language
proficiency.
4.Specifies that the information collected pursuant to this
section may be placed on the OMBC's Internet website.
5.Makes the provisions of this bill operative on July 1,
2010.
Background
The Osteopathic Initiative Act of 1922 was established
through the initiative process and created the OMBC to
license and regulate the practice of osteopathic medicine
in California. Existing law states that holders of medical
degrees and osteopathic degrees are accorded equal
professional status and privileges as licensed physicians
and surgeons. According to the website of the OPSC, the
professional organization representing D.O.s, osteopathic
physicians, put special emphasis on the role of the bones,
muscles and joints in the healthy functioning of the human
body. D.O.s are physicians who may be certified to
specialize in family medicine, obstetrics or gynecology,
pediatrics, surgery, internal medicine, and all other
medical specialties and subspecialties. The Osteopathic
Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is incorporated in the
training and practice of D.O.s. With OMT, D.O.s use their
hands to diagnose injury and illness, and to encourage the
body's natural tendency toward good health. Currently,
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there are over 5,000 D.O.s licensed and regulated by the
OMBC.
FISCAL EFFECT : Appropriation: No Fiscal Com.: Yes
Local: No
SUPPORT : (Verified 4/21/09)
Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California (source)
ARGUMENTS IN SUPPORT : According to the Osteopathic
Physicians and Surgeons of California (OPSC), data relating
to physician supply in California has not included
information relating to osteopathic physicians and
surgeons. They point out that in order to provide a more
accurate picture of all physicians practicing in
California, information on osteopathic physicians and
surgeons must be captured to better address recruitment and
retention of physicians, and help identify services needed
in specific regions of the state. In support of the need
for this bill, the OPSC provided the committee with a study
conducted by the Center for the Health Professions in 2001
entitled The Practice of Medicine in California: A Profile
of the Physician Workforce (study). This study provided
information on supply and distribution of physicians across
the state, findings on the geographic and specialty
distribution of physicians, demographic characteristics,
physician payment and earnings and care for underserved
Californians. The Sponsor concludes that the information
that will be collected pursuant to this bill would provide
an accurate count of physicians, including D.O.s in primary
and specialty care statewide and by county, similar to the
information captured in the study.
JA:nl 4/21/09 Senate Floor Analyses
SUPPORT/OPPOSITION: SEE ABOVE
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