Minnesota Agencies

Advises Board of Medical Practice regarding acupuncture standards and the complaint/discipline process, and provides for distribution of information regarding standards.

The advisory council shall: advise the board on issuance, denial, renewal, suspension, revocation, conditioning, or restricting of licenses to practice acupuncture; advise the board on issues related to receiving, investigating, conducting hearings, and imposing disciplinary action in relation to complaints against acupuncture practitioners; maintain a register of acupuncture practitioners licensed under section 147B.02; maintain a record of all advisory council actions; prescribe registration application forms, license forms, protocol forms, and other necessary forms; review the patient visit records submitted by applicants during the transition period; advise the board regarding standards for acupuncturists; distribute information regarding acupuncture practice standards; review complaints; advise the board regarding continuing education programs; review the investigation of reports of complaints and recommend to the board whether disciplinary action should be taken; and perform other duties authorized by advisory councils under chapter 214, as directed by the board.

The board was originally set to expire on June 30, 1999 but has been renewed several times and is still active.

The Acupuncture Advisory Council was reviewed by the Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy (LCPFP) in 2013 as part of their biennial duty required by Minn. Stat. 3.885 Subd. 11. The LCPFP's 2013 Recommendations called for keeping the council.

The advisory council to the Board of Medical Practice for acupuncture consists of seven members appointed by the board to three-year terms. Four members must be licensed acupuncture practitioners, one member must be a licensed physician or osteopathic physician who also practices acupuncture, one member must be a licensed chiropractor who is NCCAOM certified, and one member must be a member of the public who has received acupuncture treatment as a primary therapy from a NCCAOM certified acupuncturist (Minnesota Statutes section 147B.05, subd. 1).