Naturopathic medicine.

Existing law provides for the regulation and licensure of clinical laboratories and clinical laboratory personnel by the State Department of Health Care Services. Existing law prohibits the performance of a clinical laboratory test or examination classified as waived under the federal Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments of 1988 unless the test or examination is performed under the overall operation and administration of a laboratory director, as defined, and is performed by specified persons, including certain health care personnel. Existing law, the Naturopathic Doctors Act, provides for the regulation and licensure of naturopathic doctors by the Naturopathic Medicine Committee. This bill would expand the category of persons who may perform clinical laboratory tests or examinations that are classified as waived to include licensed naturopathic doctors if the results of the tests can be lawfully utilized within their practice, and would provide that a laboratory director includes a naturopathic doctor, as specified for purposes of waived examinations. The bill would define a naturopathic assistant for purposes of the Naturopathic Doctors Act, would authorize those assistants to perform certain medical procedures under the supervision of a naturopathic doctor, and would also authorize those assistants to perform specified naturopathic technical support services, and additional technical support services under regulations and standards established by the Naturopathic Medicine Committee. The bill would prohibit a naturopathic assistant from being employed for inpatient care in a licensed general acute care hospital.