Omnibus bill HB 7113 passed committee - legislative "train"

For those who are not members of FNA, FNPN, FLANP or other groups I wanted to pass along this information.

From FNA on 4/10:

The language in House Bill (HB) 7071 that called for these changes has been folded into a much bigger comprehensive health care bill, HB 7113, which was passed by the House Health & Human Services Committee last week.

HB 7113 contains a number of provisions that are both popular and unpopular with legislators and various advocacy groups:

•  It allows three HCA-owned trauma centers in three counties to remain open, despite opposition from nearby hospitals. This issue has been fought in the courts, and now, in the Legislature. Many hospitals oppose this, but other very powerful groups and lawmakers want these trauma centers to stay open.
• It allows ARNPs to become independent nurse practitioners (INPs) and practice without a collaborative agreement with a physician. To do so, they must take an additional graduate-level pharmacology course; earn 10 hours of continuing education in pharmacology; have 2,000 clinical practice hours within three years of becoming an ARNP; and have no disciplinary action by the Board of Nursing in the previous five years.
• It does not allow certified registered nurse anesthetists to practice independently.
• It allows only INPs to initiate Baker Act proceedings, but only allows those who are nationally certified in psychiatric-mental health to release individuals from the facility. 
• It allows ARNPs who do not seek independent status to prescribe controlled substances under the supervision of a physician. INPs could prescribe controlled substances without a collaborative agreement, but a joint commission of the Boards of Nursing and Medicine would develop a list of controlled substances they cannot prescribe. 
• It allows RNs, ARNPs, INPs and other health care practitioners to diagnose and treat patients through telehealth services. Like most of the items above, the physician community opposes this and only wants physicians to do this.

The next stop for this bill is the House floor. In the Senate, there are separate bills that each address trauma centers, nurse practitioner prescribing of controlled substances, and telemedicine for physicians, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and physician assistants. These three issues will be part of House-Senate negotiations between now and the scheduled end of session May 2.

The Legislature took off this week for the religious holidays but will resume session the week of April 21. The FNA will monitor these bills and alert the membership of opportunities to email and call legislators to urge their support on nurse-friendly initiatives.

Check out the Legislative Page and Cap Wiz 

Please visit the Florida Nurses Association website at www.floridanurse.org  and click on Legislative Activities, then double click on the Capital Wiz Icon. Click on Issues & Legislative, and then click on Legislative Alerts and Updates for FNA legislative reports, bills the FNA is supporting or opposing, alerts/updates on bills, talking points, and legislative updates via FNA TV: internet video coverage of events at the end of each week during regular legislative session (March 4th to May 2nd, 2014).