Oppose HB 508, Independent Practice for APNs
Call your representatives today!
The Ohio Osteopathic Association joined other medical associations in a letter of opposition to legislation (HB 508) that would allow Advanced Practice Nurses to practice without connection to a physician.
Led by the Ohio State Medical Association, the letter was sent to all members of the Ohio House ahead of a vote scheduled for 4 pm Tuesday, March 17.
Lend your voice to urge against movement of this bill out of committee by calling Rep. Brian Lampton (R-Beavercreek), Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kittshill) and Rep. Meredith Craig (R-Smithville), who are considered swing votes. The legislation is expected to obtain enough votes to leave committee, but should have an uphill battle getting full House support. OOA is monitoring the measure closely and will keep members update.
House Medicaid Committee
4 p.m. March 17
Arguments against the legislation include:
- Physicians and APRNs are not interchangeable. Their skills, knowledge and abilities are not equivalent; rather, they are complementary. Complete elimination of physician oversight could have serious implications on health outcomes.
- The current model of physician-led, team-based care works by allowing a balance and cooperation amongst all involved in patient diagnosis and treatment.
- An APRN is already able to practice in a rural area and collaborate with a physician anywhere in the state under the standard care arrangement (SCA). Ohio does not require the collaborating physician to be within any certain distance of the APRN.
- An APRN has extensive freedoms in the SCA, and a physician serves as a safety buffer, providing insight based on a vast difference in clinical training hours and breadth of education. This helps to keep patients safe and avoid some unnecessary health care costs that could be incurred by erroneous testing orders or misdiagnosis, for example.
- This is an unnecessary proposal that would needlessly shift the nature of how healthcare teams work to provide care and could negatively impact patient safety and healthcare costs.
Contacts:
Rep. Brian Lampton (R-Beavercreek)
Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kittshill)
Rep. Meredith Craig (R-Smithville)
