Kentucky Coalition of NP & NM Legislative Update

KCNPNM LEGISLATIVE UPDATE - 3/1/10

We have a new bill: HB 556

Urgent Call to Action

SB 75 is stalled in the Senate. Therefore we have switched gears. With 4 weeks left in this legislative session, we must move quickly if we want to pass legislation this year. Today, Representative Mary Lou Marzian filed HB 556 and is the chief sponsor of the bill. This bill breathes new life into our legislative effort!

Within hours, these Representatives signed on to the bill as co-sponsors: Rep. Keith Hall, Rep. Tom Burch, Rep. Charles Hoffman, Rep. Joni Jenkins, Rep. Charles Miller, Rep. Charles Siler, and Rep. John Will Stacy. Please send a thank you note to Rep. Marzian and to these Representatives. Please ask your Representative to be a co-sponsor!

 

All provisions in the previous Senate bill related to ARNP prescribing of scheduled drugs have been deleted from this bill. If passed, the current laws governing ARNP prescribing of scheduled drugs will remain the same. We believe this shows our willingness to compromise and our commitment to improving access to health care services.

 

 

Here is a summary of HB 556:

The bill improves access, especially in underserved areas, to quality,
cost-effective health care provided to Kentuckians by Nurse
Practitioners (NPs) and Nurse Midwives (NMs) 

 Makes NO Changes in Any Current Laws Governing ARNP Scheduled Drug Prescribing

• Limits on NP prescribing imposed in statute for each level of controlled substances remain unchanged.
• The Collaborative Agreement for Prescriptive Authority for Controlled Substances remains unchanged.
• The Controlled Substances Formulary Development Committee (CSFDC) remains unchanged.

Removes the Requirement for a Collaborative Agreement for ARNP Prescriptive Authority for Nonscheduled Drugs (CAPA-NS)

• Nurse practitioners in Kentucky have never been required to practice under the supervision of a physician. They   are considered licensed independent providers. However, Kentucky statute enacted in 1996 has required NPs to have a collaborative prescribing agreement with a physician in order to prescribe nonscheduled (legend)  medications. The agreement applies only to prescribing.
• Nurse practitioners have been safely writing prescriptions for non-controlled substances since1996.
• Nurse practitioners provide care in 116 of the 120 counties in Kentucky, showing a willingness to practice in  underserved areas. However, their ability to do so has been adversely affected by the difficulty in finding a  physician  to sign a collaborative prescribing agreement. Thus, NPs and NMs are increasingly limited in improving access to care,particularly for rural Kentuckians. Nurse practitioners who desire to open a practice must pay a physician a monthly fee to enter into a collaborative prescribing agreement. In some cases, this fee is very high.

Amends a limited number of statutes which currently require a signature, report, examination or order by a physician to allow NPs to perform these functions.

• Nine specific statutes which require a physician to sign, report, examine, order or certify such things as a child's immunization record, ordering and reporting HIV tests and results, certifying a family child care home provider's good health, the need for a telephone for the deaf, and reporting communicable diseases would now allow those functions to also be performed by ARNPs.
• These statutes currently limit patient access to services and limit the ability of nurse practitioners to provide continuity of care to their patients, consistent with their education and training. By amending these specific statutes, some of those limitations and barriers will be removed, and nurse practitioners will be able to make a greater contribution to protecting the public health of Kentuckians.

 

TALKING POINTS

Nurse practitioners have been prescribing non-scheduled drugs in Kentucky
for 14 years and have demonstrated that they are safe prescribers of these medications.

Research over 40 years shows that nurse practitioners:

• reduce ER visits
• reduce hospitalizations
• improve access to health care services
• reduce health care costs

The simple facts are that physicians do not want to go into primary care; the shortage of primary care physicians is projected to get worse; and NPs provide quality care and are willing help improve access to health care services.

HB 556 is not about competition among health care providers; it is about removing barriers to health care access, particularly in rural areas of Kentucky

 

CALL EVERY DAY TO SUPPORT HB 556

It is extremely important that Representatives hear from ARNPs, nurses, and the general public. Call each day until further notice and ask others to do the same. Tell the operator that you want to leave your message for your Representative and all Representatives

Legislative Message Line : 1-800-372-7181

The Message:"I am a Nurse Practitioner (nurse, physician, patient, constituent, etc.) and I urge you to support HB 556 to increase access to quality, cost-effective health care.”

FAX LETTERS TO LEGISLATORS

In addition to your calls, FAX letters to Frankfort to all Representatives asking them to support HB 556. Address your letter to "Dear Representative”. On the fax cover sheet, ask that the letter be distributed to all Representatives. You can use points from this message, previous messages, and the talking points on HB 556, which are available on the KCNPNM web site under legislative updates. Limit your letters to one page.

 

Legislators' Fax Number: 502-564-6543

 

PLEASE SHARE ANY FEEDBACK

If you receive feedback from Representatives on HB 556, please let us know.

Also, let us know if you have questions.

Thanks for all your efforts,

Beth Partin epartinfnp@aol.comSheila Schuster advocacyaction@bellsouth.net