Yesterday the bill moved to the Health and Welfare Committee!
People who want to oppose this bill need to:
1) Contact the Chair of the Health and Welfare Committee Dr. Ralph Alvarado Ralph.Alvarado@lrc.ky.gov, then the sponsors of the bill (see below), and your individual senators.
2) Consider sending the letter below (or craft your own!) to the folks named above and anyone else you know of influence. (NOTE: This letter was first crafted by Alana Leavell, NP - with assistance from a consulting lobbyist.)
You may call the legislative hotline 800-372-7181 and leave a message for the aforementioned legislators mentioned here stating your opposition to HB 340.
Below you will find links so you can watch the progress of the Bills that are of concern to the Aesthetic Community. I will send more Info on HB 8 later - which also requires immediate action as it will tax all Cosmetic procedures at a rate of 6%!
In closing, one of the most important things you can do is SPREAD THE WORD to others in our community: Your employers, Physicians, academicians, colleagues and co-workers.
The legislative session only has 10 days left so we need to move FAST!
Please forward your thoughts! Many thanks!
LETTER:
Date
Dear Representative____________,
I am writing to you in OPPOSITION to HB340 in its entirety. This proposal requests regulation of medical aesthetic practices (MedSpas) by the Board of Cosmetology in addition to the medical practitioners licensing board.
As a (fill in the this blank with your licensure and or owners status) experienced in the practice of Medical Aesthetics, I believe these medical practices should not be regulated by the Board of Cosmetology for the following reasons:
Medical practice is far beyond what cosmetology (a non-medical field) has the authority to regulate.
Medical aesthetics practices are already regulated by the practicing providers’ boards (medical, nursing, dental boards) which are all significantly more qualified to provide patient safety and provider scope regulation than the Board of Cosmetology.
Though medical aesthetic practices are focused on enhancement of patients’ physical appearance, they employ FDA approved and prescription modalities including topical applications, injectable neurotoxins, injectable fillers, and energy devices such as lasers to treat patients which require medical decision-making ability which is not taught to a cosmetologist during their formal education.
Many Medical Aesthetic practices have estheticians on staff (licensed by the board of cosmetology) but many modalities the estheticians use for treatment are unable to be ordered/stocked/used outside the supervision of a licensed prescribing provider deeming it inappropriate for the cosmetology licensed individual to operate on their license alone in the medical setting.
This bill confuses MedSpa ownership with the important clinical issues of supervision, oversight and delegation – which is the focus of much national discussion in state regulatory boards, professional organizations and academia.
While I do believe there needs to be careful consideration given to the governance of medical aesthetic practices (MedSpas) as they continue to become more popular, placing it in the hands of the Board of Cosmetology is misdirected. The Nursing, Medical, and Cosmetology boards need to collaborate to establish best safety practices for patients, as care in most often delivered by a multidisciplinary team in these freestanding clinics.
I would be pleased to help in anyway with this matter or to be available for consultation services as we understand this may be a topic that may be unfamiliar to most. Thank you in advance for your time and consideration.
Best Regards,
Provider Name, credentials
Practice name
Practice location
Provider phone number
Provider email