LYMEPOLICYWONK: Lyme Physician Protection in Minnesota
The moratorium will allow physicians to treat chronic Lyme disease without fear of an unprofessional conduct action for non-compliance with the IDSA Lyme guidelines. Although the IDSA claims its Lyme guidelines are voluntary, state medical boards rely on them to investigate and charge physicians who treat chronic Lyme with longer courses of antibiotics. IDSA physicians testify against non-complying physicians in board actions. And, the IDSA opposes legislation that would protect physicians who don’t comply with its guidelines from unprofessional conduct action.
Dr. Betty Maloney, who worked on the legislative effort, said physician protection is necessary because doctors have “a real fear that they will lose their licenses” if they don’t comply with IDSA guidelines. Maloney commented that the IDSA guidelines “are based on panel opinion and the panel is stacked against physicians who treat persistent Lyme disease.” She added that “[t]he evidence we have is insufficient to support (IDSA) recommendations regarding late neurologic Lyme [and] [s]cience and medicine should not be ruled by majority vote.” Minnesota Rep. Ward said that “[d]octors should be allowed to prescribe a mode of treatment best suited for the individual,” and described the tabled bill as providing patient choice.”
An article in Vadnais Heights Press provides more information.
You can follow additional comments on Lyme policy at www.lymepolicywonk.org. You can contact Lorraine Johnson, JD, MBA at lbjohnson@lymedisease.org.
