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Dear legislators,

We, the undersigned are concerned that dry needling is not in the scope of practice by rule or law for any allied health professionals yet they are performing the invasive procedure of the insertion of needles for therapeutic release. Please move this bill forward to specify best practices and protect patients in the Commonwealth.

We ask for your support for the following to become law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as proposed in S 2463:

1. Only those with a doctorate may perform dry needling/trigger point acupuncture
2. That Dry Needling/Trigger Point Acupuncture is defined using the CMS CPT code group definition owned by the AMA: “The insertion of a needle into a trigger point, the manipulation of the needle, the removal of the needle”.
3. No distal needling
4. No electrical stimulation on needles
5. Any significant adverse events (one requiring medical attention), be reported to the Board of Health within 48 hours
6. 500 didactic and 150 clinical training hours requirement for this practice
7. All practitioners will pass a third party national psychometric exam to both demonstrate competency and the ability not to harm.
8. Anyone practicing dry needling shall obtain and maintain the advanced orthopedic clinical certification
9. Anyone practicing dry needling shall meet the continuing education requirements for acupuncture
10. The CNT course and exam taught by the CCAOM exam be passed by all practitioners of dry needling/trigger point acupuncture.
11. Specific and appropriate written consent be obtained from the patient and malpractice insurance must specify dry needling/trigger point acupuncture coverage.

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