INHE 3001 Week 9 Policy Memo Example

Course	INHE 3001 Integrative Health Care Models
Week	Week 9
Paper type	Policy memo
Length	About 640 words, 4 pages
Format	Memo, APA 7 citations
School	Walden University
Program	BS in Integrative Health
Updated	October 2026

Free sample paper for INHE 3001 Week 9

Memorandum

To: Vice President of Clinical Operations, a hypothetical three-state outpatient group

From: Integrative Services Planning Analyst

Date: Week 9

Re: Acupuncture licensure, title protection and prerequisites for treatment in three states

Purpose

You asked whether the group could add acupuncture in its clinics in California, New York and Texas on the same model. This memo compares the three states on licensure, title protection and any condition that must be met before an acupuncturist may treat a patient, then states what each difference would mean for the group in practice. It covers acupuncture by licensed acupuncturists only; physicians who practice acupuncture under their own medical licenses follow different rules in each state and are left out.

What this page is doingNarrowing the memo to one profession and naming what is excluded shows the writer knows regulation does not transfer.

The Comparison

Table 1

Acupuncture regulation in three states, summarized for an employer

Feature	California	New York	Texas \|
Licensing body	California Acupuncture Board	State Education Department, with a state board for acupuncture	Texas State Board of Acupuncture Examiners, under the Texas Medical Board \|
Licensing exam	State's own licensing examination	National certification examinations accepted	National certification examinations accepted \|
Title	Licensed acupuncturist, protected by law	Licensed acupuncturist, protected by law	Licensed acupuncturist, protected by law \|
Before treatment	No prior evaluation by another clinician required	No prior evaluation required	Patient must have been evaluated for the condition by a physician, chiropractor or dentist within 12 months, with limited exceptions in statute \|

Summarized from each state's licensing body and, for Texas, the statute; the group's counsel should confirm current rules before hiring.

What Each State Would Cost the Group in Practice

California. The state requires its own licensing examination, so acupuncturists licensed elsewhere usually cannot transfer directly; they must pass the California exam (California Acupuncture Board, 2024). The group would recruit from a local pool, which in large California cities is substantial. Once hired, acupuncturists can see patients without any prior referral, so the service can accept self-referred patients and fill schedules quickly.

New York. Licensure is handled by the State Education Department, and applicants may qualify using national certification examinations (New York State Education Department, 2024). That makes it easier to recruit acupuncturists from other states. As in California, no prior evaluation is required, so the service can operate on direct access.

Texas. Texas law requires that, except in limited situations set out in statute, a patient must have been evaluated by a physician, chiropractor or dentist for the condition being treated within the 12 months before acupuncture (Texas Legislature, 2023). For the group, this changes the intake process. Each acupuncture patient's record must show a qualifying evaluation, or the visit must fall within an exception. In a clinic where most patients already see a group physician, the requirement is easy to meet if intake staff check it; in a direct-access service advertised to the public, it would turn away or delay many new patients.

Recommendation

The group should not run one acupuncture model across all three states. In California and New York, a direct-access model is legally available, and the main difference is recruitment. In Texas, the service should be built as a referral service from the group's own physicians, with an intake check for the 12-month evaluation written into the scheduling workflow. Billing rules add a separate layer: Medicare covers acupuncture only for chronic low back pain and only under specified supervision (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services [CMS], 2020), regardless of state.

What the Group Should Do Next

Before any hiring, the planning committee should ask each state clinic manager to confirm how many current patients already see a group physician, since that share decides how easily the Texas intake check can be met. The committee should also budget recruitment time for California separately, because the state exam narrows the pool to locally licensed practitioners.

Requested Action

Please confirm whether legal counsel should review this summary before the planning committee meets, so that current rules in each state are verified.

References

California Acupuncture Board. (2024). Licensing. https://www.acupuncture.ca.gov/

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. (2020). Decision memo for acupuncture for chronic low back pain (CAG-00452N). https://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncacal-decision-memo.aspx?proposed=N&ncaid=295

New York State Education Department. (2024). Acupuncture: License requirements. https://www.op.nysed.gov/professions/acupuncture/license-requirements

Texas Legislature. (2023). Texas Occupations Code, chapter 205: Acupuncture. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/OC/htm/OC.205.htm

The Walden INHE 3001 Week 9 instructions

Policy memo assignments ask students to explain how regulation affects an integrative service, usually by comparing states. Prompts commonly ask about licensure, scope of practice, title protection and supervision, and ask students to advise an employer or decision maker. Instructors know regulation varies widely, so they look for memos that limit themselves to specific professions and states, cite the licensing bodies or statutes, and translate rules into practical consequences. Memos that generalize across states, or that describe regulation without saying what it means for the organization, tend to receive less credit. Some prompts specify the states; others let students choose states where they might work.

How the INHE 3001 Week 9 example is put together

Below a standard header, the memo sets out its purpose, its single profession and its exclusions. A table compares the three states on licensing body, exam, title and conditions before treatment, with a note recommending legal confirmation. Three sections translate each state's rules into practical consequences for recruitment and intake. A recommendation section advises against one model across all three states and proposes a referral-based design for Texas, adding that Medicare's coverage limits apply everywhere. A requested action asks whether counsel should review the summary. Each state section is one paragraph and ends with what the rule means for recruitment or intake. Physicians practicing acupuncture under their own licenses are left out, and the memo says so. A note under the table recommends confirming current rules with counsel.

Where the marks sit in the INHE 3001 Week 9 rubric

Instructors generally reward a narrow, sourced comparison, and limiting the memo to one profession in three states secures that share. Citing licensing bodies and the Texas statute earns credit for accuracy. Translating each rule into a cost the employer will feel is often where the strongest memos stand out. A recommendation that differs by state shows the student accepted that regulation does not generalize. Adding a note that counsel should confirm current rules shows professional caution. Memo format and correct citations for state sources and a federal coverage decision complete the grade. Saying what the memo excludes, such as physician acupuncturists, shows awareness of how rules divide by profession.

Common INHE 3001 Week 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them

Pick one profession and two or three states. For each state, find the licensing body, the exam, the protected title and any condition before treatment, using official sources. Put them side by side in a table. Then write, for each state, what the rules would cost your organization in practice. Make a recommendation that respects the differences. Suggest legal review, since rules change. If state regulations are hard to find or compare, we can work through a sample memo for your states. Use the licensing body's own website rather than a summary from a school or association. Ask counsel or a compliance office to confirm the rules before any hiring decision.

Get a INHE 3001 Week 9 example written to your instructions

Send the memo prompt, the rubric and the states your classroom specified, and one finished INHE 3001 policy memo comes back inside 24-48 hours, free for a first sample. Regulatory statements in it carry a dated citation to board or statutory language, so every item can be verified against the current rule before you draft your own.

More INHE 3001 papers and BS in Integrative Health samples

INHE 3001 Week 9 questions, answered

Where can I find a free INHE 3001 Week 9 sample paper?

The page reproduces the whole memo comparing acupuncture regulation in California, New York and Texas.

Which state requires its own acupuncture exam?

California, which uses its own licensing examination.

What does Texas require before acupuncture?

With limited exceptions, an evaluation for the condition by a physician, chiropractor or dentist within 12 months.

Should one model be used in all three states?

No. The memo recommends direct access in California and New York and a referral-based design in Texas.

Why does the memo suggest legal review?

State rules change, and current requirements should be confirmed before hiring.