With different standards nationwide, a pilot program is launched in hopes of establishing a practitioner disciplinary database available to each state.

The issue of portability continues to be a hot topic among association leaders and practicing massage therapists as more and more therapists are taking "mobile practices" to new levels as they permanently or temporarily move their practices to other states. There currently is no mechanism in place to alert states when a therapist with ethical or disciplinary problems comes into an area and begins practicing. With today's society embracing the freedom of mobility, the idea of a nationwide disciplinary database has begun to take shape.

In June, the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) introduced attorney Robbie Bell as the new Director of State Database Resources. Bell's directive is to make this disciplinary database a reality. Until recently, Bell worked for the Tennessee Department of Health as the Director of Health Related Boards. She had previously moderated NCBTMB's November 2006 meeting with state boards to discuss the development of such a database.

The goal of the database is to house each state's information in one centralized format. When a board has an application for licensure, they would be able to query the database to see if there is a disciplinary issue in another state. "State boards need an avenue for quickly identifying practitioners applying for certification who have been disciplined in another state," Bell said.

"We started this project by looking at the various state boards' Web sites, gathering information about the requirements of licensure, the structure of the board, the number of disciplined licensees, number of licensees, what information is available on the Web site, etc. I am also making calls to the various boards to obtain information that is not available on the Web sites," Bell said. "After the information is obtained, we will identify the differences between the various states. During this part of the process, it is important to be detail oriented; the more 'homework' we do in preparation and developing the business rules for actual development, the faster the process will be later."

Currently, Florida and Nevada have made a commitment to participate in the early stages of this project. Other states are interested in discussing the process but have yet to commit. Bell believes it will take about a year to implement this project in all states and estimates the pilot program will be available in the summer of 2008. "The goal behind the database is to create a user-friendly, Web-based data repository for state disciplinary data for use by state regulatory boards to give them information to make informed decisions," Bell said.

"Coming from a state board regulatory background, this project is exciting to me. Boards are charged with the task of protecting the health, safety and welfare of the public. They can only accomplish their task if they have accurate, complete and timely information. This database will fill an identified gap in information that is not currently available to the states in an easily accessible, no-cost system," Bell said.