Highlights of the NM BAOM Meeting July 8, 2024
by Dr. Yvonne Wylie Walston, DOM
NMSAAM President
Many DOMs are not familiar with NM BAOM (Board of Acupuncture and Asian Medicine) meetings. NMSAAM generally has at least one member or representative there to stay informed. To follow is a short report, roughly following the BAOM meeting agenda outline.
I. Call to order
BAOM roll call members present: Brandon Taylor (Chair), Nityamo Lian (Vice Chair – online), Jeanne Dixon, Maverick Lobe, and Robbie Tafoya (public member – online)
Public presence: Yvonne Wylie Walston, Glenn Wilcox, and Arthur L. Culpepper, PhD, FACHE, Bureau Chief, Health & Professional Licensing Bureaus
Others online: Pamela Barrett and Kelly Murphy
Legal Counsel Present: Sandra Gardner. Now that the BAOM has assigned legal counsel again, the Board is ready to move forward with the rules changes and fine-tuning. There will be a Public Rules Hearing (PHR) in Albuquerque at the next BAOM meeting in Albuquerque.
BAOM Chair, Brandon Taylor, performed his normal excellent and gracious, but firm leadership role.
II. Disciplinary Matters: closed to the public for an hour
III. Reports
A. Board Administrator Kathleen Gonzales report
- 543 DOMs
- 8 Specialty licenses
- 71 CAD specialists
- 23 CAD supervisors
- 4 Externship certifications
- 4 Externship supervisors
Nityamo Lian noted that 436 DOMs are currently residing in New Mexico
Kathleen Gonzales reported that renewals are well underway and that people are appreciating the new streamlining, with 549 renewing so far as of July 8.
Brandon Taylor remains assigned by the governor’s office to the Integrative Treatment Subcommittee in the Opioid Prevention & Pain Management Committee (OPPMC).
- (Note from Yvonne Walston: Recommendations have unanimously been made by OPPMC for DOMs to be budgeted in to the Medicaid budget for Medicaid patients to have 20 visits per year, although in the short, fast 2024 Legislative Session the various committees did not communicate and pass the budget to include DOMs.)
Brandon Taylor noted that this is the second year that DOMs have been included in the state questionnaire for medical practitioners as required by New Mexico. It is actually a big achievement for DOMs to be included in the survey, and another step for DOMs to be taken more seriously. The NMBAOM worked hard to have DOMs included. UNM is analyzing the data.
Arthur L. Culpepper said that the questionnaire provides information to the legislature, even though not all medical practitioners are alike. He said that it is important for a healthy infrastructure.
B. Compliance report:
Brandon Taylor asked that the current number of acupuncturists in New Mexico be published on the RLD website. Brandon noted that with 2.3 million population in New Mexico, there is one DOM per 4000 population, which is a good number compared to other states, and it is on par with California. He would like more stats to be published on the RLD website.
C. Committee reports:
Exam Committee: Three of the four candidates that performed the practical exam passed. There will be critique feedback to the person who did not pass.
Auricular Detox Committee Report:
Brandon pointed out that it is difficult to reach rural areas with the five-point protocol of a regular detox. Supervisors can’t be paid. New Mexico is one of the few states that have Acu detox specialist with an actual practice act. It is especially difficult to get supervisors on tribal lands. He says that the state of New Mexico wants a supervisor. Nityamo noted that more than one half of her supervisors are volunteers.
IV. New Business
Discussion of proposed rules changes for Public Rules Hearing (PHR): Title 16, chapter 2, NMAC.
Fifteen (15) possible rules changes from 16.2.1 – 16.2.19 were discussed and approved to move to the public rules hearing, some with changes.
Glenn Wilcox gave a two-minute explanation of the expanded practice changes that he requested. He said that about 10 years ago the NM expanded practice for specialty licenses was crippled by the NMBAOM at the time with additional requirements, costs, and psychometric testing for this unit, which had already demonstrated excellent safety records all along. He and John Ross have taught the classes before, and would like to change this ten-year-old rules issue with the current NMBAOM so that more DOMs can be trained for the expanded practice specialty licenses. Without rolling back the rules, it is impossible to become trained for all of the NM Scope of Practice, that is, the NM expanded practice for specialty licenses, which has been in the NM Scope for a long time.
Brandon Taylor pointed out that bioidentical hormone treatment has been part of Oriental Medicine for at least a thousand years. He is also concerned that NMBAOM is not qualified to approve certain requested injectable substances, and that it is necessary to work with pharmacology as has been done in the past.
I commented that we have one member in NMSAAM and a potential member who are interested in the expanded practice classes. Nityamo Lian requested that interested DOM’s send a request for these classes to the BAOM instead of to the class instructors, so that they can officially record the need.
V. Review of Upcoming Meetings – Tuesdays
- September 24, 2024: Location Albuquerque at 9:00 am (will include rule hearing)
- November 19, 2024: Location Santa Fe at 9:00 am
References, The BAOM official notes draft; do review these for more details:
https://api.realfile.rtsclients.com/PublicFiles/1ee897135beb4b1c82715d36398de4c5/05f6f2e6-c2ca-41f5-87a8-829c80b1501a/Board%20of%20Acupuncture%20and%20Oriental%20Medicine%20Draft%20Meeting%20Minutes%202024-%2007.08.2024.pdf.
Please note: This article expresses the opinions, in-person notes, and research of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of NMSAAM, the NMSAAM BOD, or the ASA.