It may be here, now.
A Letter from COLORAMA President, Heather Baines
Dear members of COLORAMA, We have provided a number of articles over the past few years about the how to continue to uplift the professional practice of Ayurveda for the benefit of our clients, patients, and Ayurveda enthusiasts, adopters, and general public supporters. Your Board of Directors meets monthly by phone conference and quarterly in person to discuss the role of our association, how best to support our members, and how to offer the highest benefit to our active membership. We don’t take your dues, time, or your affection for granted, and we strive to be an engaged, beneficial part of your Ayurvedic life and practice. With this background in mind, we engaged the assistance of Robert A Lees, Esq in the spring of 2017 to guide us in the best practices for the clinical practice of Ayurveda in Colorado. We are vigilant about the safety and efficacy of our practice, and by seeking legal counsel for our membership, strive to insulate our members from accusations of negligence or the “practice of medicine without a license” by giving you tools, resources, and sound legal advice. We are thrilled this month to roll out a new member benefit, a deeply discounted package for legal services, including all of the patient/client intake forms required to practice in our Health Freedom state. Sujata Reddy, BAMS AD LPC, your Governance Chair, has worked tirelessly with Bob and his team to put together a document package that you can readily convert for your use in your practice, with expert help from the Robert A Lees and Associates law firm. This level of legal oversight usually comes at a steep cost. When I opened Roots of Wellness Ayurveda in Boulder, CO a local health care law firm quoted $2,500-$3,000 for all of my legal start up paperwork. We will be offering this package to our active members for $450. And for each package purchased, Bob has agreed to donate a significant portion of your cost (greater than 20%) back to COLORAMA to support our mission! To access this valuable legal package, sign in and visit the Member's Discounts page and reach out using the contact form there. We can then begin the process of customizing legal documents for your practice.
Out of our ongoing conversations with Bob and his team, it has become apparent that the best way to ensure the ongoing legal practice of Ayurveda in the state of Colorado may be to license our practice. We often receive the question from members and supporters, “We practice in a Health Freedom state, why do we need licensure?” Licensure would provide a number of benefits to our professional members in private practice:
Licensure provides Ayurvedic Doctors, Ayurvedic Practitioners, and Ayurvedic Health Counselors credibility. Preventative and natural health care services, including the use of herbal therapies, tinctures, diet, lifestyle, and self-care, are being highlighted at medical health care conferences across the nation, and if we were to join the ranks of Acupuncturists and Chiropractors as a licensed health care practice, we could offer the general public and other licensed healthcare practitioners an improved perception of the safety and efficacy of Ayurveda. We know our practice is safe and effective (at times miraculously so), and we know how to prevent it from being used inappropriately or used unsafely. Licensure gives the public assurance that as a self-regulated professional licensed health care modality, we are watching out for our patients’ and clients’ safety, in their best interest.
Licensure gives us entry into working with our medical counterparts as part of a client or patient’s coordinated care team, and gives us access to working in clinical settings with other licensed practitioners (MDs, Acupuncturists, Chiropractors, Midwives, Nurse Practitioners, and Physicians Assistants, etc). Without licensure, the vast majority of licensed health care practitioners will not consult with us, nor will they refer to us, no matter how much referring out we do (or are required to do). Very few will be willing to partner with us, or have us practice with them, keeping us isolated in our client and patient care.
Licensure gives our professional members the option to pursue alternative payment, such as insurance reimbursement, and may open the practice of Ayurveda to many more clients and patients who currently do not have access to our care. Without licensure, that option is off the table and our only option is the current model: private, cash-based, unlicensed practice. Licensure does not require every practitioner to accept insurance; however licensure may require all practitioners to carry liability insurance for their practice. Discounted and cost-effective liability insurance is already a benefit offered through NAMA for professional members!
These are the kind of conversations we are having on your Board of Directors, with our Advisory Board, and with our legal counsel. We are planning a Town Hall meeting for all of our members on August 11th to present to you our findings, and continue to carve out the pathway for the legal and ethical practice of Ayurveda in the state of Colorado. We hope you’ll join us for the conversation on August 11, 2018. Save the date!
In service of Ayurveda, Heather Baines AD RAAP President, Board of Directors, COLORAMA