MNHC educates the public about Minnesota's "Safe Harbor Exemption Law," which was enacted in 2000. The statute, which is designated as Chapter 146A of the Minnesota Statutes, is known as the Complementary and Alternative Health Care Freedom of Access Act. Rather than trying to license the myriad types of unlicensed practitioners who are out there, this statute carves out an area with law under which most unlicensed health care practitioners can practice without needing to be licensed and without having to fear being prosecuted by the state medical board for "practicing medicine without a license." This approach is sometimes called a "safe harbor" approach because it provides the unlicensed practitioners a safe harbor within which they can help their clients and do what they have been educated to do, without have to worry about being attacked by the state medical board and being charged with the "practice of medicine without a license."
Upon request, we provide a "practitioner packet" to anyone who is interested, to explain what Chapter 146A is, how it works, and how to comply with it in order to fall within its scope and enjoy its protections. Anyone may call 651-644-4572 to order a practitioner packet. It is free although donations are accepted.
The practitioner packet includes a copy of the 146A statute, some discussion of how the law works, and a sample "Client Bill of Rights" that serves as a model for the Client Bill of Rights that an unlicensed practitioner must give out to his/her clients in order to be in compliance with the provisions of the statute. With the help of this packet, many unlicensed practitioners learn about Chapter 146A and how to comply with it, and usually do so without needing to consult an attorney because the steps for compliance are fairly simple. If you do have questions, you can discuss them also at 651-644-4572.
