New legislative sessions in 2022 mean new rules for state regulatory and occupational licensing boards, along with the practitioners they regulate. The article summarizes the ten legislative and policy trends that licensing boards and stakeholders need to prepare for. Trends summarized in the Feb. 17 JD Supra article include worker mobility legislation, repeal or adoption of COVID modifications to licensing, as well as antitrust Concerns.
Connecticut’s Medical Examining Board issued a reprimand, along with a $5,000 fine, to a physician who operated on the wrong knee of a patient in 2018. According to state Department of Health documents, Dr. Christopher Betz failed to follow pre-incision protocol and failed to verify the correct knee for the operation before the procedure. According to a federal inspection report, Betz also neglected to document that he operated on the wrong knee, as reported by CT Insider on Feb. 17.
A bill that strengthens the background check process for licensed massage therapists passed the Arizona house on Feb. 21. Starting January 2023, the bill requires massage therapists to obtain a fingerprint clearance card to receive or renew a license. The bill also requires regulators to post online any disciplinary and non-disciplinary measures taken against massage therapists. According to azcentral, the legislation comes as a result of an investigation last year into sexual abuse complaints against Arizona massage therapists.
Legislation in at least 14 states proposes to restrict a medical board’s authority to discipline doctors for their advice on COVID. The legislation comes in contrast to the language of some state medical boards, warning doctors to not spread COVID misinformation. In Florida, for example, a bill proposes to ban medical boards from revoking a physician’s license for what he or she says—unless physical harm occurs to the patient, according to Governing and NPR.
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