Bill description: HB 5 would eliminate the Board of Chiropractic Physicians’ peer review committee.

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Does it transfer a function of the private sector to the government? Examples include government ownership or control of any providers of goods or services such as the Land Board's purchase of a self-storage facility, mandatory emissions testing, or pre-kindergarten. Conversely, does it eliminate a function of government or return a function of government to the private sector?

The Idaho Board of Chiropractic Physicians has the authority to operate a peer review committee to evaluate “the appropriateness, quality, utilization, and cost of chiropractic services and the ethical performance of chiropractic care” for chiropractors licensed in the state. This committee seldom meets; however, when it does, it has the authority to investigate the practices of any licensed chiropractor in Idaho, and the licensees are required to “fully cooperate with and promptly respond to inquiries and requests from the committee.”

Peer review is a central feature of the medical and academic professions today, operated by private individuals and organizations. HB 5 would remove the board’s authority to operate a peer review committee. The role of this committee, which is to evaluate the work of other chiropractors, could be entirely met by private individuals in the industry.

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