O&P: Failing To Protect ‘Qualified’ Status through Licensure?

Pursuant to the federal statute, Section 427 of BIPA 2000, a
qualified practitioner is defined as: A physician, a qualified
physical or qualified occupational therapist, and a state-licensed
orthotist or prosthetist; or in states that do not issue those
licenses, a trained individual who is either: (1) certified by
either the American Board for Certification in Orthotics &
Prosthetics (ABC) or the Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist
Certification (BOC), or (2) is credentialed by a program that the
US Secretary of Health & Human Services (HHS) determines, in
conjunction with appropriate experts, has sufficient training and
educational standards. The Negotiated Rulemaking (NRM/NegReg)
Committee, which failed to reach consensus, was charged with
assisting Health & Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy
Thompson in implementing the legislation.