AMAAZ  ANNOUNCEMENT:

Join Us for Our Annual General Meeting and Continuing Education Seminar (FREE!)

Dear Members,

We cordially invite you to our annual general meeting and continuing education seminar:

When? on Sunday, October 27th, from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM

Where? at the office of Barry Arrons & Associates 4315 N 12St, Phoenix, AZ 85014, Suite 200.

This event is open to all licensed acupuncturists and students, offers 3 units of PDA/CEU credit, and is free to attend.

Agenda:

• 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM: Chair - Dr. Lloyd Wright - Board Meeting, Membership Meeting, Election of New Directors, Updates on Acupuncture in AZ & Nationwide
• 12:10 PM - 12:50 PM: Speaker Dr. Julie Armstrong - 2025 Updates to ICD-10 Codes, Acupuncture for our Seniors Act - HR 3133, and Case Studies in Kidney Disorders .
• 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM: Speaker Dr. Ray Botte - Acupuncture Injection Considerations: Critical Questions & Concerns. CPT Codes and Usage of Injection substances with illustrative case studies.

In addition to our regular business, we will be announcing the newly elected 2025 Board members. Ballots for the election will be emailed on Sunday, October 15, 2024, and must be returned to the AMAAZ no later than 11:59 PM on Friday, October 27, 2024.  [email protected].

We encourage all licensed acupuncturists to attend this informative and engaging event. Please RSVP by October 26, 2024  by signing up at https://amaaz.memberclicks.net/amaaz_annual_mtg-2024.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Best regards,

Dr. Lloyd G Wright

President

Asian Medicine Acupuncturists of Arizona

Injections Update

The training requirements for Arizona have not been established through the Rules making process yet. However, the State of Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners (SAABE) has adopted a "Substantive Policy Statement" that accepts the 60 hour APIT standard as the current educational standard and will allow Licensed Acupuncturists in Arizona to prescribe or perform injections.  There are currently 2 educational providers that are approved by the Board and once the LAc provides evidence of certified completion of an approved course the Board will acknowledge the LAc as authorized to include the use of injections in practice. More providers may begin offering equivalent course as time goes on. Always check with the Board to confirm their approval.

It is always best to consult with the SAABE directly if you have any questions, Here is the link to the Substantive Policy Statement  page: https://acupuncture.az.gov/statutes-and-rules/substantive-policy-statements.

As the Rules process proceeds this year, we do not anticipate a significant change from this policy, but please stay tuned.

Below is the bill and rule-making process for Arizona SB 1080, passed in March 2022.

Bill Process:

Once a bill passes the legislature and has been signed by the governor, it will go into effect 90 days after the last day of the legislative session unless there is an emergency clause that SB 1080 does not have. The State of Arizona Acupuncture Board of Examiners must write the rest of the regulations for that bill to become effective, but they have until or before January 1, 2024. Likely, they will have a resolution before this date so it can take effect sooner for all interested Arizona licensed acupuncturists.

That said, the EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY section is the acupuncture assistant capable of removing needles. SB 1080 reads, “Until the acupuncture board of examiners adopts rules and approves training programs for acupuncture assistants, a licensed acupuncturist may supervise an unlicensed person who has completed a training program for acupuncture assistants that includes removing needles and assisting in basic health care duties in the practice of acupuncture.”

Membership dues help with legal expenses and continuing education opportunities for members. If you are not a current member, please consider joining or renewing today. 

The AMAAZ is here to elevate our profession in Arizona. Join us today!