POLICY MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of Legal Programs is to offer authoritative analysis of the legal, regulatory, policy, and ethical issues underpinning the integration of complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies into conventional medical settings. Through this work, Legal Programs serves not only the Harvard Medical School Osher Research Center and Division for Research and Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies, but also the larger community of clinicians and hospitals pioneering integrative medicine; patients and families who use CAM therapies; and judges, policymakers, and officials who regulate patient access to these therapies and their integration into conventional care.

OBJECTIVES

Health care law and policy affecting CAM therapies and providers are in flux. Although clinicians are beginning to incorporate many CAM therapies, without clear legal, regulatory, and policy guidance, practitioners and institutions, as well as patients, operate in an uncertain and hazardous legal environment. Presently, at least seven interrelated areas of law affect legal and policy decisions surrounding clinical integration of CAM into conventional care. These include: (1) credentialing and licensure; (2) scope of practice; (3) malpractice liability; (4) food and drug law; (5) professional discipline; (6) third-party reimbursement rules; and (7) rules governing health care fraud.* The Research Center is committed to research in each of these areas, and to monitoring legislative, administrative, and judicial developments in the field at state, federal, and international levels, focusing on arenas such as licensing, malpractice liability, and reimbursement policy.

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