02/13/2009
House Bill 64, sponsored by Representative Angelo Saviano, was introduced to the Illinois General Assembly in January. HB 64 would amend the Medical Practice Act to allow any person licensed under it (physicians, chiropractors) to delegate tasks or duties to licensed or unlicensed personnel who have the training or experience to perform the tasks or duties so delegated. HB 64 does not define what constitutes “training” or “experience.”
Essentially this would allow chiropractors and physicians to assign various duties to staff who might not be trained or qualified to perform those duties. For example, they could ask a receptionist to perform massage, or a massage therapist to draw blood. If passed, this bill could negatively impact public safety and would obviously impact a host of licensed professions, including massage therapy.
To view the entire bill, go to:
http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/96/HB/PDF/09600HB0064.pdf
ABMP encourages you to call your state representative and ask them to oppose HB 64. Keep your conversation short and on point. It doesn’t take much to express your view. Here is a sample script:
"HB 64 will allow physicians to delegate duties and tasks to unlicensed individuals. As a licensed massage therapist, I am concerned that this bill would allow massage to be performed by individuals who are not trained and licensed which would severely impact patient safety. As a consumer, I don’t want unlicensed and unqualified people would be working on my family and me.”
To find out who your legislator is, go to:
http://www.votesmart.org/
State: