Washington Administrative Code › Title 246 - Health, Department of › PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND LICENSING › Chapter 246-803 - Acupuncture and eastern medicine practitioner › PRACTICE STANDARDS › Section 246-803-300 - Patient notification of qualifications and scope of practice

Current through Register Vol. 24-14, July 15, 2024
Acupuncturists or acupuncture and Eastern medicine
					 practitioners in the state of Washington shall provide to each patient prior to
					 or at the time of the initial patient visit the qualifications and scope of
					 practice form. The form must include:
(1) The acupuncturist's or acupuncture and
				  Eastern medicine practitioner's education. The degree obtained and the dates
				  and locations of the didactic and clinical training.
(2) License information, including state
				  license number and date of licensure.
(3) A statement that the practice of
				  acupuncture or acupuncture and Eastern medicine in the state of Washington
				  includes the following:
(a) Acupuncture and
				  Eastern medicine means a health care service utilizing acupuncture and Eastern
				  medicine therapeutic treatments, such as the practice of acupuncture techniques
				  and herbal medicine to maintain and promote wellness, prevent, manage, and
				  reduce pain, and treat substance use disorder;
(b) Use of presterilized, disposable needles,
				  such as filiform needles, and other acupuncture needles, syringes, or lancets
				  to directly and indirectly stimulate meridians and acupuncture points including
				  ashi points, motor points, trigger points, and other nonspecific points
				  throughout the body;
(c) Use of
				  electrical, mechanical, or magnetic devices to stimulate meridians and
				  acupuncture points including ashi points, motor points, trigger points, and
				  other nonspecific points throughout the body;
(d) Intramuscular needling and dry needling
				  of trigger points and other nonspecific points throughout the body in
				  accordance with acupuncture and Eastern medicine training;
(e) All points and protocols for ear
				  acupuncture including auricular acupuncture, national acupuncture
				  detoxification association protocol, battlefield acupuncture, and the Nogier
				  system;
(f) Use of contact needling
				  and noninsertion tools such as teishin, enshin, or zanshin;
(g) Moxibustion;
(h) Acupressure;
(i) Cupping;
(j) Dermal friction technique;
(k) Infrared;
(l) Sonopuncture;
(m) Laserpuncture;
(n) For the purposes of this section, point
				  injection therapy is defined as meaning the subcutaneous, intramuscular and
				  intradermal injection of substances consistent with the practice of acupuncture
				  or Eastern medicine to stimulate meridians, acupuncture points, ashi points,
				  motor points, trigger points, and other nonspecific points throughout the body.
(i) Point injection therapy includes trigger
				  points as a subset of acupuncture points and ashi points as recognized in the
				  current practice of acupuncture and Eastern medicine.
(ii) Point injection therapy does not include
				  injection of controlled substances contained in Scheduled I through V of the
				  Uniform Controlled Substance Act, chapter 69.50 RCW or steroids as defined in
				  RCW
				  69.41.300.
(iii) Substances that may be injected are
				  limited to:
(A) Saline;
(B) Sterile water;
(C) Herbs specifically manufactured for
				  injection by means of hypodermic needles;
(D) Minerals specifically manufactured for
				  injection by means of hypodermic needles;
(E) Vitamins in liquid form specifically
				  manufactured for injection by means of hypodermic needles;
(F) Homeopathic and nutritional substances
				  specifically manufactured for injection by means of hypodermic
				  needles;
(G) Local anesthetics,
				  such as lidocaine and procaine, for reduction of pain during point injection
				  therapy, consistent with the practice of acupuncture and Eastern medicine;
				  and
(H) Oxygen and epinephrine for
				  potential emergency purposes, such as an allergic or adverse reaction, for
				  patient care and safety, and may only be administered by an acupuncturist or
				  acupuncture and Eastern medicine practitioner using point injection therapy who
				  has met the training and education requirements established pursuant to
				  RCW
				  18.06.230.
(o) Dietary advice and health education based
				  on acupuncture or Eastern medical theory, including the recommendation and sale
				  of herbs, vitamins, minerals, and dietary and nutritional
				  supplements;
(p) Breathing,
				  relaxation, and Eastern exercise techniques;
(q) Qi gong;
(r) Eastern massage and Tuina (which is a
				  method of Eastern bodywork); and
(s) Superficial heat and cold
				  therapies.