URGENT: FPA Bill Alert

Posted 22 days ago by Laura Reed

This is an URGENT UPDATE:

Just a few hours ago, we sent you an alert for our APRN legislation. At that time we were assigned to Senate Commerce Committee. We just received word from our bill sponsors that a motion will be made on the Senate Floor tonight moving us to Senate Health committee. Please contact the Senate Health Committee Members immediately. This bill will be heard at their final meeting THIS WEDNESDAY AT 3PM!!

SB176/HB184 (read the full version here or the summary here.)

WHEN: SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEE final meeting THIS WEDNESDAY AT 3PM!!This legislation SB176/HB184 is scheduled to be heard in the House Health Subcommittee THIS Tuesday at 12:00.

WHO: WE HAVE UPDATED THE COMMITTEE INFORMATION BELOW! Emails and Phone Numbers are listed at the bottom of this email along with sample scripts to personalize.

Remember: Referring to this legislation SB176/HB184 as achieving Full Practice Authority is often misunderstood.

This legislation would remove physician oversight of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses and keep the regulation of the profession of nursing under the Board of Nursing, thus being called full practice authority.
Full practice would not allow APRNs to do anything they are not currently allowed to do.

Talking Points to use in support of SB176/HB184:

SB176/HB184 removes unnecessary and harmful barriers – and creates new opportunities to improve access to care across the state. APRNs are educated to evaluate, diagnose, initiate, and manage treatments, including prescribing medications. It’s time to let them do that and help Tennesseans improve their health rankings and outcomes!
It's common sense: by removing barriers, lawmakers make it easier and more affordable for APRNs to practice. Better access to health care means better outcomes for patients. Patient health outcomes should be the yardstick for licensure rules. Multiple research studies have proven that there is no evidence that a collaborative agreement mandate has any positive impact on patient health outcomes.
Updating the Nurse Practice Act ends a very costly and prohibitive mandate for APRNs to pay a doctor to review charts and prescriptions several weeks after the patient is cared for. Some may say this legislation is radical. What’s radical is how the state is resisting modernizing healthcare delivery by APRN practice to the benefit of all Tennesseans. APRNs are the Future of Primary Care as 72.6% of APRNs deliver primary care nationally. By 2026, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the APRNs' role will grow by 36% compared to 13% for physicians. This statistic alone indicates how Tennessee is behind the curve when it comes to healthcare delivery.
When APRNs are able to practice to the full extent of their education, they are able to serve more Tennesseans and provide more options for healthcare services.

Additional Information to share with Legislators:

What this Legislation SB176/HB184 Accomplishes: Removes the need for a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. Establishes the Board of Nursing as the only licensing body overseeing APRN practice. The APRN license meets the need for a fitness to prescribe. Allows APRNs to manage their practice without extra red tape and costs.

What is a collaborative agreement? Antiquated and burdensome contract between a physician and an APRN that allows the APRN to prescribe medication. It is a costly restriction mandating that the physician review patient charts of the APRN; the cost for this collaborative agreement is on average $1500/month per a recent survey conducted in Tennessee. The physician might never see the patient, yet the patient is usually billed for this mandate. There are no health or safety benefits to a patient when their chart is looked at 30 days after receiving treatment.

Why is healthcare more expensive in Tennessee? Our laws and regulations result in higher costs for patients and taxpayers because added administrative and billing costs are passed along. Only physicians benefit from the current set up and costs of collaborative agreements. If Tennessee wants to continue to be attractive for economic and community development, it must provide world-class, affordable healthcare services that are readily available for all Tennesseans. Removing the barriers of practice for APRNs is one of the many cost-effective ways that Tennessee can move its healthcare system into the 21st century and ensure that Tennesseans are receiving the care they need.

Shouldn’t Tennesseans be able to choose who provides and cares for their families without the hidden surprise of a caregiver they have never seen billing for their services? Unfortunately, Tennessee law currently suppresses that choice by reducing the available supply of providers and restricting the range and services they can offer, thus increasing healthcare costs. Competition in health care markets benefits Tennesseans by helping to control costs, improve quality of care, promote innovative products, services and service delivery models, and expand access to healthcare services and goods.

Did you get feedback from a legislator? Let TNA know here.

Here is a handout you can attach to your email!

Here is a sample script you can you use:

Don't forget a best practice for emailing legislators is to personalize the email. Remember to ask for their vote and include your name, address,

and THAT YOU ARE A REGISTERED NURSE!!

Dear Representative/Senator,

My name is ________________. I am a Registered Nurse. Please vote yes on SB176/HB184 by Sen. Lundberg and Rep. Ramsey.

To improve access to care during the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Lee waived restrictions so Tennesseans could have more access and options to health care, including access to APRNs. We need to continue to allow APRNs to practice without the burden of collaborative agreements. This legislation will cut outdated, unnecessary requirements hindering APRNs from providing care to Tennesseans patients.

Less red tape means more access and more options for millions of Tennesseans living in primary care shortage areas. Please help cut red tape and allow APRNs to provide the same high-quality advanced nursing care they provide today to more patients at less cost, resulting in more access and options for Tennesseans.

APRNs WILL NOT expand their scope of practice. Over 31 states, DC and the VA system have removed barriers to APRN care, reducing costs and providing access for patients. None of them have looked back. Removing unnecessary regulations on APRNs is a no-cost solution to improving access to care.

Will you vote yes on SB176/HB184?

Sincerely,

(Your Name and degrees)

(Your Contact Information)