| Physician Acupuncture Licensure Requirements

| Physician Acupuncture Licensure Requirements Acupuncture may be performed in the state of Mississippi by a physician licensed to practice medicine and adequately trained in the art and science of acupuncture. Adequately trained will be defined as a minimum of 200 hours of AMA or AOA approved Category I continuing medical education (CME) in the field of acupuncture. Said CME must include at least 100 clinical hours and 100 didactic hours of training. Such licensed individuals wishing to utilize acupuncture in their practice may do so provided that any and all portions of the acupuncture treatment are performed by the person so licensed, and no surrogate is authorized in this state to serve in his or her stead. The practice of acupuncture by a physician should follow the same quality of standard that the physician, or any other physician in his or her community, would render in delivering any other medical treatment. The applicable standard of care shall include all elements of a doctor-patient relationship. The elements of this valid relationship are: A. verify that the person requesting the medical treatment is in fact who they claim to be; B. conduct an appropriate examination of the patient that meets the applicable standard of care and is sufficient to justify the differential diagnosis and proposed therapies; C. discuss with the patient the diagnosis, risks and benefits of various treatment options and obtain informed consent; D. insure the availability of appropriate follow-up care including use of traditional medicine; and E. maintain a complete medical record. The Board must have on file copies of required CME prior to any Mississippi licensed physician being approved to provide treatment by acupuncture. Licensees approved by the Board to practice acupuncture prior to January 2011 shall not be required to meet the aforementioned CME requirements.