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Naturopaths Want to Do What?
Last week, MedChi testified firmly in opposition to House Bill 520 / Senate Bill 470: State Board of Physicians – Naturopathic Doctors – Scope of Practice, Renewals, and Professional Liability Insurance.
Our opposition panel—MedChi lobbyist Steven Wise, Esq., Partner with Schwartz, Metz, Wise, & Kauffman, P.A., and MedChi members J. Michael Niehoff, M.D., Vaughn Powell, M.D., and Hopkins medical student Amanda Andriessen—delivered clear, compelling testimony focusing on a central concern: naturopaths are not required to complete medical residency, a foundational component of physician training that ensures competence, safety, and accountability in clinical decision-making.
During the House hearing, bill sponsor Delegate Bonnie Cullison, Vice-Chair of the Health and Government Operations Committee, pressed our panel with extensive questions. The main question: Why would MedChi oppose granting prescriptive authority to naturopaths when other health occupations, such as nurse practitioners, prescribe without completing a residency?
MedChi's answer: The educational pathways are fundamentally different.
Nurse Practitioners are educated in medical and science-based programs, aligned with the standards and accreditation processes applied across modern health professions. Naturopathic programs, by contrast, are primarily grounded in natural and alternative medicine. If naturopathic education were equivalent to medical training, naturopathic schools would seek accreditation through the same organizations that accredit U.S. medical schools—they do not.
The Senate Finance Committee hearing was less contentious, largely due to the committee’s limited familiarity with naturopathic scope issues and the timing of the hearing—occurring mid-afternoon in a long docket of bills.
Nevertheless, MedChi’s message was consistent and clear across both chambers: expanding naturopathic scope to include prescriptive authority creates unnecessary risk for Maryland patients and undermines the standards that define safe, accountable medical care.
MedChi will continue to work closely with legislators to ensure that Maryland maintains strong, evidence-based standards for patient care and physician practice.
Gene M. Ransom III
CEO
MedChi, The Maryland State Medical Society
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