(a) Purpose. This section is promulgated to promote the health, safety, and welfare of the people of Texas through the establishment of minimum requirements for continuing acupuncture education (CAE) for licensed Texas acupuncturists so as to further enhance their professional skills and knowledge.
(b) Minimum Continuing Acupuncture Education. As a prerequisite to the biennial registration of the license of an acupuncturist, the acupuncturist shall complete 34 hours of CAE every 24 months.
(1) The required hours shall be from courses that meet one of the following criteria at the time the hours are taken:
(2) The required CAE hours shall include the following core hours:
(3) The remaining CAE hours may be from other courses approved under paragraph (1) of this subsection, subject to the limitations under paragraphs (5) through (7) of this subsection.
(4) Courses may be taught through live lecture, distance learning, or the Internet.
(5) No more than four hours in courses that relate to business practices or office administration may be applied to the total hours required for each registration period.
(6) No more than a total of 16 hours completed under paragraph (1)(D) or (E) of this subsection may be applied to the total hours required each registration period.
(7) At least 18 hours applied to the total hours required each registration period must be approved under paragraph (1)(A) - (C) of this subsection.
(8) The required CAE shall include the completion of a course in human trafficking prevention approved by the executive commissioner of the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. The course may be counted as part of the minimum 18 hours approved under paragraph (1)(A)-(C) of this subsection.
(c) Reporting Continuing Acupuncture Education. An acupuncturist must report on the licensee's registration form whether the licensee has completed the required acupuncture education during the previous two years.
(d) Grounds for Exemption from Continuing Acupuncture Education. An acupuncturist may request in writing and may be exempt from the biennial minimum continuing acupuncture education requirements for one or more of the following reasons:
(1) the licensee's catastrophic illness;
(2) the licensee's military service of longer than one year in duration;
(3) the licensee's acupuncture practice and residence of longer than one year in duration outside the United States; and/or
(4) good cause shown on written application of the licensee which gives satisfactory evidence to the board that the licensee is unable to comply with the requirements of continuing acupuncture education.
(e) Exemption Requests. Exemption requests shall be subject to the approval of the executive director of the board, and shall be submitted in writing at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the license.
(f) Exemption Duration and Renewal. An exemption granted under subsections (d) and (e) of this section may not exceed one year, but may be renewed biennially upon written request submitted at least 30 days prior to the expiration of the current exemption.
(g) Verification of Credits. The board may require written verification of continuing acupuncture education hours from any licensee and the licensee shall provide the requested verification within 30 calendar days of the date of the request. Failure to timely provide the requested verification may result in disciplinary action by the board.
(h) Nonrenewal for Insufficient Continuing Acupuncture Education. Unless exempted under the terms of this section, the apparent failure of an acupuncturist to obtain and timely report the 34 hours of continuing education hours as required and provided for in this section shall result in nonrenewal of the license until such time as the acupuncturist obtains and reports the required hours; however, the executive director of the board may issue to such an acupuncturist a temporary license numbered so as to correspond to the non-renewed license. Such a temporary license issued pursuant to this subsection may be issued to allow the board to verify the accuracy of information related to the continuing acupuncture education hours of the acupuncturist and to allow the acupuncturist who has not obtained or timely reported the required number of hours an opportunity to correct any deficiency so as not to require termination of ongoing patient care.
(i) Fee for Issuance of Temporary License. The fee for issuance of a temporary license pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be in the amount specified under §175.1 of this title (relating to Application Fees); however, the fee need not be paid prior to the issuance of the temporary license, but shall be paid prior to the renewal of a permanent license.
(j) Application of Additional Hours. Continuing acupuncture education hours that are obtained to comply with the requirements for the preceding registration period, as a prerequisite for licensure renewal, shall first be credited to meet the requirements for that previous registration period. Once the requirements of the previous registration period are satisfied, any additional hours obtained shall be credited to meet the continuing acupuncture education requirements of the current registration period. A licensee may carry forward CAE hours earned prior to a biennial registration report, which are in excess of the 34-hour biennial requirement and such excess hours may be applied to the following registration periods' requirements, except for the required course under subsection (b)(8) of this section. A maximum of 34 total excess hours may be carried forward. Excess CAE hours may not be carried forward or applied to a biennial report of CAE more than two years beyond the date of the registration following the period during which the hours were earned.
(k) False Reports/Statements. An intentionally false report or statement to the board by a licensee regarding continuing acupuncture education hours reportedly obtained shall be a basis for disciplinary action by the board pursuant to the Act, §205.351(a)(2) and (6).
(l) Monetary Penalty. Failure to obtain and timely report the continuing acupuncture education hours for renewal of a license shall subject the licensee to a monetary penalty for late registration in the amount set forth in §175.2 and §175.3 of this title (relating to Registration and Renewal Fees and Penalties).
(m) Disciplinary Action, Conditional Licensure, and Construction. This section shall be construed to allow the board to impose requirements for completion of additional continuing acupuncture education hours for purposes of disciplinary action and conditional licensure.
(n) Required Content for Continuing Acupuncture Education Courses. Continuing Acupuncture Education courses must meet the following requirements:
(1) the content of the course, program, or activity is related to the practice of acupuncture or oriental medicine, and shall:
(2) the method of instruction is adequate to teach the content of the course, program, or activity;
(3) the credentials of the instructor(s) indicate competency and sufficient training, education, and experience to teach the specific course, program, or activity;
(4) the education provider maintains an accurate attendance/participation record on individuals completing the course, program, or activity;
(5) each credit hour for the course, program, or activity is equal to no less than 50 minutes of actual instruction or training;
(6) the course, program, or activity is provided by a knowledgeable health care provider or reputable school, state, or professional organization;
(7) the course description provides adequate information so that each participant understands the basis for the program and the goals and objectives to be met; and
(8) the education provider obtains written evaluations at the end of each program, collate the evaluations in a statistical summary, and makes the summary available to the board upon request.
(o) Continuing Acupuncture Education Approval Requests. All requests for approval of courses, programs, or activities for purposes of satisfying CAE credit requirements shall be submitted in writing to the Education Committee of the board on a form approved by the board, along with any required fee, and accompanied by information, documents, and materials accurately describing the course, program, or activity, and necessary for verifying compliance with the requirements set forth in subsection (n) of this section. At the discretion of the board or the Education Committee, supplemental information, documents, and materials may be requested as needed to obtain an adequate description of the course, program, or activity and to verify compliance with the requirements set forth in subsection (n) of this section. At the discretion of the board or the Education Committee, inspection of original supporting documents may be required for a determination on an approval request. The Acupuncture Board shall have the authority to conduct random and periodic checks of courses, programs, or activities to ensure that criteria for education approval as set forth in subsection (n) of this section have been met and continue to be met by the education provider. Upon requesting approval of a course, program, or activity, the education provider shall agree to such checks by the Acupuncture Board or its designees, and shall further agree to provide supplemental information, documents, and material describing the course, program, or activity which, in the discretion of the Acupuncture Board, may be needed for approval or continued approval of the course, program, or activity. Failure of an education provider to provide the necessary information, documents, and materials to show compliance with the standards set forth in subsection (n) of this section shall be grounds for denial of CAE approval or rescission of prior approval in regard to the course, program, or activity.
(p) Reconsideration of Denials of Approval Requests. Determinations to deny approval of a CAE course, program, or activity may be reconsidered by the Education Committee or the board based on additional information concerning the course, program, or activity, or upon a showing of good cause for reconsideration. A decision to reconsider a denial determination shall be a discretionary decision based on consideration of the additional information or the good cause showing. Requests for reconsideration shall be made in writing by the education provider, and may be made orally or in writing by board staff or a committee of the board.
(q) Reconsideration of Approvals. Determinations to approve a CAE course, program, or activity may be reconsidered by the Education Committee or the board based on additional information concerning the course, program, or activity, or upon a showing of good cause. A decision to reconsider an approval determination shall be a discretionary decision based on consideration of the additional information or the good cause showing. Requests for reconsideration may be made in writing by a member of the public or may be made orally or in writing by board staff or a committee of the board.
(r) Criteria for Provider Approval.
(1) In order to be an approved provider, a provider shall submit to the board a provider application on a form approved by the board, along with any required fee. All provider applications and documentation submitted to the board shall be typewritten and in English.
(2) To become an approved provider, a provider shall submit to the board evidence that the provider has three continuous years of previous experience providing at least one different CAE course in Texas in each of those years that were approved by the board. In addition the provider must have no history of complaints or reprimands with the board.
(3) The approval of the provider shall expire three years after it is issued by the board and may be renewed upon the filing of the required application, along with any required fee.
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