The dash-7 version of Substitute House Bill 216 (advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) independent practice bill) has been released and the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians continues to have substantial concern with what remains.
The OAFP continues to oppose the provision in the new version of the bill that would grant independent practice to psych APRNs (the only independent practice piece that remains from the original bill). The OAFP also opposes the addition of a provision that creates a new, broad scope of practice for all APRNs (something that was not in previous versions of the bill). And while physicians’ organizations have collectively agreed to support an exclusionary formulary we oppose changes in the formulary committee that would give APRNs an unfair advantage on the committee – the latest version mandates that an APRN chair the formulary committee and that any ties be broken by the Ohio Board of Nursing.
The OAFP also opposes a provision that would permit APRNs to sign death certificates and adding residential care facilities to the list of locations where APRNs can prescribe Schedule II drugs.
There are several other changes in the dash-7 version that have not previously been discussed so the APRNs are continuing to put new issues on the table for negotiation.
Additional meetings are being held with the bill sponsor Representative Dorothy Pelanda (R-Marysville, OH) this week. Watch the Weekly Family Medicine Update and the OAFP website for updates on these negotiations.