Delegating Massage Therapy to Licensed and Unlicensed Staff

The Illinois Chiropractic Society was instrumental in initiating and passing Section 54.2 of the Medical Practice Act regarding physician delegation of authority to licensed and unlicensed personnel in the office.  Prior to this amendment, the MPA did not specifically permit chiropractic physicians to delegate patient care tasks to office staff.  The ICS worked with other groups licensed under the MPA to clarify that physicians may assign some patient care tasks to office personnel if conditions are met.  (Note that this section applies only to delegation, which is not the same as referral to an independent contractor within or outside of your practice.)

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) Medical Board counsel issued information about the Department’s interpretation of the law, and, specifically, how it applies to delegation to licensed massage therapists and to qualified unlicensed assistants in a physician office.