Call to Action on Bill: HB583

If bill, HB 583, doesn’t stir up any concerns to any Acupuncture Physician, in the state of Florida, then that practitioner is NOT dedicated to TCM and its future. Before explaining what HB583 entails, I am going to give a little background of TCM’S standing in the state of Florida.

In Florida, the use of the title A.P. and Acupuncture Physician in Florida goes back to 1998 when the practice act was adopted, and our licensing board, the Department of Health and the Department of professional regulation have formally recognized our professional titles since 2006.

If HB583 is passed in the House and they don’t put an amendment to accept the title of Acupuncture Physician under the bill’s new language, our profession will lose all the benefits in using Acupuncture Physician. The reasoning the bill’s sponsors are submitting this bill is to protect the public against fraud and deceptive practices. This bill strictly limits how the words “physician” and “doctor” can be used as healthcare titles, business names, and advertising.

However, if they don’t include an amendment allowing Acupuncturists to still be able to use this title, it would have a very real, negative, impact on the Acupuncturist’s practice. What everyone must appreciate is 99.9% of Acupuncturists, practicing in Florida, have never been accused or disciplined for misleading patients about our licensing or credentials.

In addition, there are a variety of specialties that the practice of an Acupuncture Physician focuses on. One may solely focus on Gynecological/Infertility disorders, another on Emotional disorders while another focuses his practice on Pain Management. The point being that the title, Acupuncture Physician, truly best reflects the depth of illnesses we are trained to treat.

I hope that this blog has opened the eyes of Acupuncture Physicians and the general public, in Florida, regarding the imminent threats to the scope of the TCM profession. We must, collectively, voice our views to our respective legislators.

HB583 is set be voted on within a month in the House. I will write an update on how the vote went, at that time.