More Stealth Attacks on Integrative Doctors May Be Coming

We have to watch both the AMA and the Federation of State Medical Boards. They have a new strategy to limit your health freedom.

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) has recently created a model policy that would overhaul how state medical boards renew licenses for physicians. The FSMB represents the 70 state medical and osteopathic boards in the US and is part of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), which sets and enforces standards in physician education in the country.
Over the years, we have suspected that the American Medical Association is trying to use the FSMB and the accreditations process as a way of stamping out what it perceives to be the competitive threat of integrative medicine. The AMA has to be careful about taking overt anti-competitive actions because of the chiropractors’ successful anti-trust lawsuit some decades ago.
Currently, in all jurisdictions, medical licensees are required to complete a renewal form and pay a fee. Most states also require physicians to obtain a specific number of Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. Currently there are CME credits available for Complementary and Alternative Medicine practitioners, and it is in this environment that doctors are teaching one another cutting-edge integrative medical practices.
The FSMB model policy recommends changing the license renewal process, though the details are not yet available. A worst-case scenario would curtail IM-related CME credits. States will decide individually whether they want to adopt any new policies.
We will be keeping a close eye on the issue.