Local Policy for CAM services:
The Federal Government does not regulate CAM or license CAM practitioners. Individual states have this authority as part of their U.S. constitutional mandate to regulate health, safety, and welfare. Typically, regulation involves some form of licensure which typically involves completing a specified amount of training, passing a written and/or practical exam, and meeting requirements for continuing education.
Local policies of CAM practices vary for every state. A particular type of CAM might be regulated in some states but not others, or states might have different requirements for practicing CAM. Different states have different ways of defining scope of practice for occupational therapists, which affects the way they are able to incorporate CAM into practice. In general, physicians, because they are authorized by state law to diagnose and treat disease, may provide CAM therapies. However, states may or may not allow other licensed health care providers (such as occupational therapists) to provide CAM therapies, or may not have laws addressing the question at all.
This lack of standardization affects how occupational therapists bill for CAM and how insurance companies choose to cover or not cover CAM treatments.
Local policies of CAM practices vary for every state. A particular type of CAM might be regulated in some states but not others, or states might have different requirements for practicing CAM. Different states have different ways of defining scope of practice for occupational therapists, which affects the way they are able to incorporate CAM into practice. In general, physicians, because they are authorized by state law to diagnose and treat disease, may provide CAM therapies. However, states may or may not allow other licensed health care providers (such as occupational therapists) to provide CAM therapies, or may not have laws addressing the question at all.
This lack of standardization affects how occupational therapists bill for CAM and how insurance companies choose to cover or not cover CAM treatments.
(Credentialing CAM Providers: Understanding CAM Education, Training, Regulation, and Licensing, 2011)