SENATE RULES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE FOR

SENATE MEMORIAL 133

53rd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - first session, 2017

A MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THAT THE NEW MEXICO MEDICAL BOARD AND THE BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS MEET TO DISCUSS THE PROS AND CONS OF MERGING THE BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE AND THE NEW MEXICO MEDICAL BOARD.

     WHEREAS, allopathic and osteopathic physicians have identical scopes of practice under New Mexico law, while there are differences in training between the two practices of medicine; and

     WHEREAS, osteopathic physicians spend more than four hundred hours during their four years of medical school learning osteopathic principles and osteopathic manipulative medical treatments; and

     WHEREAS, osteopathic physicians and physician assistants who are supervised by osteopathic physicians are currently licensed by the board of osteopathic medicine, which is administratively attached to the regulation and licensing department; and

     WHEREAS, allopathic physicians and physician assistants who are supervised by allopathic physicians are currently licensed by the New Mexico medical board, which operates as an independent agency; and

     WHEREAS, both osteopathic and allopathic physicians are allowed to supervise physician assistants; and

     WHEREAS, having a streamlined process where physician assistants can submit one application for physician oversight would be beneficial to these important allied health providers;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico medical board and the board of osteopathic medicine be requested to convene a meeting of the directors of both boards during the 2017 interim to determine, with input from the superintendent of regulation and licensing and representatives of the New Mexico osteopathic medical association, the Burrell college of osteopathic medicine, the New Mexico medical society and the New Mexico academy of physician assistants, if there is a need for the merging of the New Mexico medical board and the osteopathic board of medicine; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that relevant executive branch agencies, including the regulation and licensing department, be requested to freely share any information that may assist in the process of determining whether there is a need to merge the New Mexico medical board and the osteopathic board of medicine; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico medical board and the board of osteopathic medicine be requested to report to the interim legislative health and human services committee, by November 1, 2017, their findings and recommendations pursuant to their discussions with each other and stakeholder organizations as to whether legislation to merge the board of osteopathic medicine with the New Mexico medical board is needed; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that if the New Mexico medical board and the board of osteopathic medicine are merged, the new board be named the New Mexico physician licensing board; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the executive director of the New Mexico medical board, the chair of the board of osteopathic medicine, the superintendent of regulation and licensing, the executive director of the New Mexico osteopathic medical association, the executive director of the New Mexico medical society, the president of the New Mexico academy of physician assistants and the chair of the interim legislative health and human services committee.

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