Legislative Updates

January 8th 2021
Statement from National: NAPNAP Applauds Massachusetts Bill S. 2984 to Increase Access to High-Quality Health Care for Children

As experts in pediatrics and advocates for children, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) applauds the Massachusetts state legislature and Governor Charlie Baker for the enactment of bill S. 2984, appropriately titled “An Act Promoting A Resilient Health Care System that Puts Patients First.” This new law meets the standard benchmarks for full practice authority as detailed in the Consensus Model and acknowledged by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as well as the National Council of State Boards of Nursing. This legislation provides full and direct access to a patient’s healthcare provider of choice, including the more than 12,000 advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) licensed in Massachusetts, and is a win for families in the state.

The success of bill S. 2984 stems from the commitment of the Massachusetts legislators to follow through on Governor Baker’s previously issued COVID-19 waiver which temporarily removed barriers to nurse practitioner care provided in the state. This action allowed immediate access to high quality, evidence-based, affordable care for Massachusetts residents. Recognizing the excellent care patients immediately received and the stellar patient outcomes in the months that followed, this emergency waiver is now state law.

Massachusetts becomes the 23^rd state to gain this health care achievement for patients, in addition to Washington D.C., Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands. There are many other states that have had recent successes with bills achieving barrier reductions for patient access to care, and NAPNAP applauds steps made toward full and direct access to care. We encourage legislators in states with reduced or restricted APRN practice to look at patient outcomes in states with no barriers for APRNs. The imperative to leverage all resources in the health care system to their full extent has never been more critical. Nurses, ranked as the most trusted profession by the American public every year by Gallup, have proved to be an indispensable resource in the COVID-19 pandemic response and have found innovative pathways to meet real patients with real needs in real 21^st century times.

NAPNAP extends our sincere congratulations to the Massachusetts state legislature and the nearly seven million Massachusetts residents, of which approximately 20% are children. We also wish to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of NAPNAP volunteer chapter leaders and members who have worked tirelessly as advocates in the state to showcase the excellent care that pediatric nurse practitioners and other advanced practice providers give to Massachusetts children. Dedicated members such as Julianne Nemes Walsh and Amy Delaney have remained steadfast in their commitment to barrier reduction for almost a decade to see this law passed. NAPNAP is committed to working with external partners and stakeholders to ensure all children have full and direct access to affordable, high-quality health care provided by pediatric-focused APRNs. Our mission is to empower these APRNs and key partners to optimize child health, and we will continue to do so.

_________________________________________________________________________________

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE 1/1/2021

The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners is proud to report that today Governor Charlie Baker signed into law, An Act Promoting a Resilient Health Care System That Puts Patients First making Massachusetts the 23rd state in the nation to pass FPA legislation for Nurse Practitioners.

This achievement represents an 8-year legislative effort and the contributions of countless individuals.

From the founding members of the MCNP, to the dedicated MCNP volunteers who championed this fight and never gave up; the financial and advocacy support, and dedication from our NAPNAP chapter members, members who supported this work and engaged with legislators; our bill sponsors; the MCNP incredible lobbying teams over the past 25 years; institutional, organizational, and nursing supporters; key legislators; and state leaders. Gratitude shines today.

There is still work ahead as regulations are promulgated and new barriers are faced, but TODAY, all NPs in MA can rejoice in this incredible victory for patients and what we were able to accomplish together.

The MCNP has shared a link to encourage members to reach out to your legislators to thank them for their support by sending a pre-formatted email through the MCNP website at: https://www . votervoice . net/MCNP/campaigns/79006/respond.

Happy New Year, and until we can gather together to celebrate, please know we are so very grateful to all of you for your advocacy and passion, and incredible care of children and families that you provide daily. Best wishes for the positive change ahead!

Cheers!
~Amy Delaney, MSN, RN, CPNP, Carly Riker, MSN, RN, CPNP (legislative co-chairs), and Julianne Nemes-Walsh, DNP, PNP-BC (past-president who was at the very first meeting of language drafting for these efforts over 10 years ago!) and the entire MA Chapter Board

January 6, 2020

As previously reported, the Massachusetts Senate and House passed healthcare reform bills this summer that contained language for independent practice authority for Nurse Practitioners in Massachusetts after a 2 -year period of supervised practice by either an MD or NP with independent practice authority.

The House and Senate bills remain before a 6 member conference committee who has been charged with reconciling them into a single compromise bill.

According to an update this week from the State House News Service, the committee is making progress:

House-Senate negotiators are "close" to a deal on health care legislation dealing with access to telehealth services in Massachusetts, according to one top member of the conference committee.

"We're close. We're close. About two, three issues that we're working on," Majority Leader Ron Mariano, the House's lead negotiator on the bill, told the News Service as he left the State House Thursday afternoon.

The Quincy Democrat said some of the "bigger" differences between the House and Senate bills (H 4916 / S 2796) had been "solved," and there was "mostly a lot of little stuff" to be worked out by the six-lawmaker panel.

Mariano would not discuss specifics of the executive-session talks, but said the group has met around 10 or 12 times. The panel was appointed in July, and as of early October they had not yet held their first meeting.

He also spoke of the difficulty of COVID-era negotiations on Beacon Hill.

"It's hard to negotiate when you're on a Zoom call, you know? You don't get instant feedback. So it's tough ... You end up waiting to see things in print, because you don't sit across the table and exchange," he said.

This is very encouraging news and consistent with information already provided by our lobbying team. This makes us hopeful that the legislature will be able to pass a compromise healthcare reform bill that contains our FPA language prior to the end of the formal session on 01/04/2021.

The MCNP has posted a new grassroots email campaign on their website and we encourage you to contact your legislators if you have not done so recently.

CLICK HERE to send a pre-formatted email from the MCNP

Thank you for your continued engagement and for the work you are doing for our patients and communities as we face the next surge of the pandemic.

Many thanks for your continued advocacy and activism!

Amy Delaney, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC/PC and Carly Riker, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC/PC
Legislative Co-Chairs, MA Chapter NAPNAP

November 1, 2020

The MA Chapter of NAPNAP is excited to share that Governor Charlie Baker has been chosen by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners as the 2021 recipient of their State Advocate Award for Excellence. Presented annually, this prestigious award is given to an individual in each state who has made a significant contribution toward increasing awareness and recognition of Nurse Practitioners.

Governor Baker has been a long-time supporter of scope of practice reform for Nurse Practitioners in Massachusetts and has consistently recognized the importance of increasing patient access to high quality nurse practitioner care to help decrease health care costs and address inequities in access to care for vulnerable populations.

His efforts to advance this change included language in his last two healthcare bills to remove scope of practice restrictions for Nurse Practitioners.

This has also been demonstrated during the COVID-19 pandemic with his Executive Order issued on March 26, 2020 that suspended supervisory requirements for prescriptive practice for NPs with at least 2 years of prescribing experience. He reiterated the importance of making this a permanent change in his recent opening remarks at the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission's 2020 Cost Trends Hearing (video below).

His forward-thinking leadership around healthcare reform and recognition of the role of NPs in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic have helped break down barriers and create an environment in which the Massachusetts legislature is more receptive to scope of practice reform.

When full practice authority for Nurse Practitioners becomes a reality in Massachusetts, there is no doubt that Governor Baker's leadership will have played an important role in its passage.

Our congratulations to Governor Baker for this most deserved award and gratitude for his advocacy efforts for our patients and profession.

Governor Baker Delivers Remarks to Health Policy Commission's
2020 Cost Trends Hearing

July 30, 2020

NAPNAP members!

So thrilled to let you know that last evening, the Massachusetts House passed their health care bill, H. 4888, renamed as An Act to promote resilience in our health care system, which retained language for full practice authority after a 2 year period of supervised prescriptive practice. This is one step forward and a major step! We have attached the press brief update below as you will see this was also due to incredible efforts from the MCNP lobbying team to sway positions of key legislators.

The House and Senate have each passed different healthcare bills and they will need to be reconciled in conference committee before they can be passed by the Legislature and sent to the Governor for his approval, so there is still work ahead.

While the Legislature is scheduled to conclude its formal session at midnight on Friday, July 31st , because of COVID, there is a strong likelihood that they will modify their rules to allow for continuing the session into the fall and possibly until the end of 2020.

It is not clear at this point when the conference committee assignments will be made or when they will convene to work on the bill but we will provide updates as they become available.

Your engagement and call to action have made a tremendous impact on this movement, so we thank you for your continued efforst as they will be needed, and a MAJOR shout out to the MCNP lobbying and leadership/steering committee team.

We are almost there so stay engaged!

Many thanks,

Amy Delaney, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC/PC
amy@delaneypnp.com

Carly Riker, MSN, RN, CPNP-AC/PC
riker.carly@gmail.com

Legislative co-chairs

House Unanimously Passes Health Care Reform Bill

Branches Headed to Conference Again After 2018 Collapse

Katie Lannan 7/29/20 8:59 PM

JULY 29, 2020....House lawmakers on Wednesday unanimously voted to take another pass at infusing additional cash into financially strapped community hospitals, a key feature of a health care bill that collapsed two years ago when House and Senate Democrats could not reach agreement by a July 31 deadline.

"The last couple of bills that we've worked on here in the House have not gotten across the finish line, the main sticking point being money -- how do you spread the money out, who gets what, who pays, who are the net payers, who are the net gains," Majority Leader Ron Mariano said on the House floor Tuesday night.

This year, Mariano said, the House would "try something a little different," by building on a step Gov. Charlie Baker took earlier in the COVID-19 crisis to buoy the state's hospitals.

"He added a 7 percent surcharge on MassHealth bills to hospitals that are community hospitals which are 60 percent public payers, and he added a 20 percent surcharge to COVID-related diseases in the same hospitals," Mariano said. "We're going to try that approach and I think it's a much cleaner and easier way to fund helping our community hospitals."

After the House's Wednesday evening vote, the bill's next stop is likely to be a conference committee, where three senators and three representatives will negotiate over two competing bills. Both the House and Senate bills aim to build on lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and make a commitment to telehealth access, though their particulars differ.

The House bill (H 4888) would require insurers to cover telehealth visits for primary care and chronic disease management at the same rate as in-person service for one year. Behavioral telehealth services, over both phone and video, would be covered at the same rate as in-person care permanently, under the House bill.

The bill the Senate passed unanimously on June 25 requires insurers to reimburse providers at the same rate for telehealth as they would for in-person care for the next two years.

The Senate bill (S 2796) also includes protections against surprise out-of-network charges -- it tasks the Health Policy Commission and the Division of Insurance with determining a default rate for out-of-network charges, to take effect in 2021 -- and expands scope of practice for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and psychiatric nurse mental health specialists, allowing them to practice independently as long as they meet certain education and training standards.

"The citizens across the commonwealth are really hurting, and there's uncertainty, and I think they're really depending on us to reform our health care system," Sen. Cindy Friedman, the Senate chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, said in an interview last week.

Mariano said the House bill extends a Baker emergency order on out-of-network billing for a year, and addresses scope of practices for nurse practitioners, who he said are "the first line of defense."

Introducing their bill on the House floor Tuesday night, Mariano and Rep. Dan Cullinane, the acting House chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, both described it as taking a "measured step."

"Responsible government is not about who can be the boldest or who gets credit for making the fastest change, no matter how good it may sound or how desirable the ultimate or aspirational goal may be," Cullinane said. "There are moments when responsible government is about slowing down, about being surgical, making key tweaks at difficult times and then making sure we got it right. Still confronting a global pandemic while facing budget shortfalls of billions, this is a moment to be surgical."

After the Senate passed its bill in late June, Senate President Karen Spilka struck a note of urgency around the measures it contained and said she hoped the Senate's prescription drug and behavioral health bills would "continue to move forward in the legislative process."

"When it comes to making telehealth services permanently accessible, ending surprise billing and expanding scope of practice, let me be clear: we cannot wait," Spilka said in a statement. "We have learned a lot about how to deliver accessible health care during the global pandemic, and we can and should implement these changes now."

Before passing the bill Wednesday, the House shot down a Rep. Christopher Hendricks amendment that would have created a "rebuttable legal presumption" for certain medical workers who contracted COVID-19. As the law currently stands, medical personnel can file workers compensation claims related to COVID-19, but "unfortunately have the burden of showing that the COVID-19 diagnosis was a result of their job," Hendricks said.

"This will allow workers comp insurers to deny claims entirely, because while it is obvious that these diagnoses are the result of being on the front lines during this pandemic, it is also impossible to show where that COVID-19 molecule was actually ingested," the New Bedford Democrat said. "In short, this threshold is far too high for these workers, and we as legislators owe them to ease that burden."

The amendment failed on a 62-94 vote, and Cullinane said the idea needed additional vetting.

April 7,2020

Dear MA NAPNAP,

We are eager to share with you another exciting legislative change that will positively impact nurse practitioners. The Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act, included within the recently signed Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, now permanently authorizes PAs and NPs to order home healthcare for Medicare patients. This will surely improve access to home health services, especially in vulnerable and underserved populations. It will also ease the transition of patients from hospitals to their homes, freeing up much needed hospital beds during the COVID-19 pandemic.

For more information, check out this article in Clinical Advisor.

To those of you on the front lines, and those in supporting roles, we continue to commend the work you are doing during this pandemic season.

Be well,

Amy Delaney and Sarah Kiser
Legislative co-chairs

March 27, 2020

This morning, Governor Baker and Secretary Sudders issued an Executive Order that will temporarily suspend current requirements for APRNs to have physician supervision and written prescriptive practice guidelines in place. The order pertains to APRNS who have at least 2 years of supervised practice experience, and there is language related to those with less than 2 years of practice as well.

This will be a critical time that we can focus on our patients, and support delivery of care, while fighting the COVID-19 pandemic. It will also be a time when we will be able to demonstrate how this temporary granting of full practice authority will assist with access to care and services when needed the most.

You can view the Executive order at https://www . mass . gov/doc/march-26-2020-advanced-practice-registered-nurses-order/download.

The below MCNP communication was just sent out.

Continue to stay well and we will continue update you all moving ahead with any updates.

Many thanks again for your continued advocacy, and for your dedication and care for pateints and families.

Amy Delaney and Sarah Kiser
Legislative co-chairs

March 27, 2020

Dear Colleague,

During a news conference this morning, Governor Charles Baker and Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders announced an Executive Order that will temporarily suspend the requirements for physician supervision and written guidelines for prescriptive practice for APRNs who have at least 2 years of supervised practice experience. This applies to certified NPs, CRNAs and Pscyh Clinical Nurse Specialists.

APRNs with less than 2 years of supervised practice must still have supervised prescriptive practice but may collaborate under relaxed requirements with a different supervising physician as needed during the state of emergency.

Although the language of this order is different than the Nursing Workforce Bill proposed by the Senate and opposed by the House earlier this week, it achieves the same goal by allowing us as a profession to respond more effectively the COVID-19 crisis.

MCNP thanks Governor Baker and his administration for their support and commitment to ensuring that Nurse Practitioners are being fully utilized in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

And to the dedicated Nurse Practitioners we represent, THANK YOU for all that you are doing for our patients and communities during this challenging time.

The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

March 26, 2020

MA Chapter NAPNP members,

Echoing off the messagee sent last week from the board, hope you are all well during these unprecedented times. As you are aware, and witnessing daily, recommendations and policies/laws are changing faster than ever. As legislative chairs and as a board, we continue to follow very closely what is evolving within the profession, as well as how care delivery is impacting children and families. Our president, Julianne Nemes-Walsh, has been involved with communication to the state regarding inclusion of NPs related to language for billing of home visits, and we followed closely the Governor's proclamation regarding telehelath language.

MCNP has just sent out email communication regarding the Senate Nursing Workforce Bill which we are sharing below which is a priority for meeting the needs of patients during this time. This is such a positive news for all. Please know that we will follow up when grassroots efforts are needed (this will be likely VERY SOON), and when we ask...your action to communicate with legislators will be essential and will be time sensitive.

Thank you all for your continued dedication to the profession of nursing, as well as to the care of children and families in your practice settings. Stay well.

Many thanks,

Amy Delaney and Sarah Kiser
Legislative co-chairs, MA Chapter NAPNAP

March 25, 2020

Dear Colleague,

As you may have heard in the news yesterday, the Massachusetts Senate is advancing a Nursing Workforce Bill in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The bill would temporarily relax statutory requirements for board certified nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives and psychiatric mental health clinical nurse specialists and authorize "independent practice authority" for those who have completed at least 2 years of supervised practice. The bill still needs to be voted on by the Senate and accepted by the House, and if passed will expire 90 days after Massachusetts ends its state of emergency.

The MCNP legislative leadership along with our lobbying team have been communicating with key legislators throughout this process, and the fact that this bill is being considered as soon as Thursday is a major testament to their efforts.

While we remain committed to a long-term legislative solution to remove restrictive licensing requirements for nurse practitioners, serving the needs of our patients is our number one priority, and this short-term relaxation of prescriptive oversight will allow us as a profession to respond more effectively the COVID-19 crisis. To that end, we will continue to explore all procedural options to advance this critical measure.

We will be sending a follow-up Call to Action asking for House support once the bill clears the Senate.

We thank all of you who are providing leadership and caring for patients during this stressful time and are hoping that you and your families are staying safe and healthy.

The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

February 5, 2020

NAPNAP members-

Sending along the important update regarding the NP SAVE bill that MCNP sent out this morning. Please take a minute to read the message re: the extension for the bill to remain before the Joint Committtee on Public Health, as well the coverage of the Governor's Omnibus Health Care Bill that also includes language regarding the removal of licensing restrictions for NPs (there are many angles and ways to get a bill passed outside of the stand alone bill strategy!). MCNP has a grassroots call to action to send a message to your elected officials reminding them of your commitment to the bill, so please consider doing this immediately. The automatic email is also one to share with family, friends and colleagues, as it does not identify the sender as a NP directly. Conisder sharing on social media and particpate in the twitter campaign as suggested.

Keep up the activism and advocacy for our practice. It is being heard!

Many thanks,

Amy Delaney and Sarah Kiser
MA Chapter NAPNAP Legislative co-chairs

Legislative Update on MCNP SAVE Bill

February 5, 2020

Dear Colleague,

We have been informed that in advance of the 2/05/2020 Joint Rule 10 Deadline, our NP SAVE Bill (S.1330 / H.1867) has been given an extension order until 4/01/2020 and at least for now, will remain before the Joint Committee on Public Health.

Despite this delay, we remain optimistic that our bill will ultimately be favorably released to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (JCHCF).

As previously reported, the Governor's Omnibus Healthcare Bill contains language related to the removal of licensing restrictions for nurse practitioners. We are encouraged by this and the support of many stakeholders and our recent positive press in the Boston Globe .

We will continue to work to advance our stand alone bills and as the legislature prioritizes health care reform legislation, we will fight for the inclusion of FPA language in this and other vehicles.

We have posted a new Grassroots email campaign on our website and urge you to reach out to your legislators to let them know you remain committed to advancing the SAVE Bill.

We also encourage you to engage your legislators on social media and have posted an Automated Twitter Campaign to help you do this as well.

Thank you for your continued engagement and support of our legislative efforts for Full Practice Authority.

The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

Legislative Updates
January 2020

Dear Colleague,

Happy New Year!

As we start 2020 and the 2nd year of this 191st legislative session, the MCNP Legislative Team wanted to provide a recap of our legislative efforts over the past year and what we anticipate will happen with our bill in the months ahead.

As you know, the MCNP submitted our 4th filing of legislation for full practice authority in January 2019. Referred to as the NP SAVE Bill, (S.1330 / H.1867) An Act to Support Access, Value and Equity in Health Care will remove the requirement for prescriptive oversight and joint promulgation of NP regulations by the Board of Registration in Medicine.

The Senate and House versions of our bill were referred to the Joint Committee on Public Health (JCPH) in March 2019, and on 9/24/19 MCNP presented oral testimony during a public hearing before the Committee. With two 4-member panels of healthcare leaders, nurse practitioner clinicians and physician colleagues, the MCNP highlighted how current licensing restrictions on NP practice negatively impact patients and access to care.

In addition to ongoing grassroots email campaigns with more than 2,400 member emails sent to legislators over the past year, our lobbying team has been meeting regularly with key legislators, and members of our Political Action Committee have been attending fundraisers and fostering relationships with influential legislative leaders.

To increase public awareness, the MCNP ran a coordinated campaign in Massterlist during the week of our JCPH hearing, and the year culminated with an article published in the business section of the Boston Globe on December 27, 2019, which highlighted our legislation. The article, which connected Nurse Practitioner full practice authority to increased access to care for underserved and vulnerable populations, cast our efforts in a favorable light and referenced the inclusion of similar language in the Governor’s omnibus health care bill and the support Secretary of Health and Human Services, Mary Lou Sudders, who noted “It’s fair, it’s right, and it will increase access — which is what the governor’s health care bill is all about- I’ve seen no data to suggest the quality of care offered by nurses is anything other than excellent in other states.”

What lies ahead…

In order for our stand-alone bills to advance in the session, they must be released from the Joint Committee on Public Health. Although we anticipate a favorable release from the JCPH, we do not have a firm sense of when this will take place, but under the deadlines for the session, the committee is required to decide on bills prior to their Joint Rule 10 deadline which for this session is on 02/05/2020.

Once released from the JCPH, we anticipate our bill will be sent to the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (JCHCF). With the recent resignation of Representative Jennifer Benson, the House Chair of the JCHCF, there will be changes in leadership but we do not anticipate this will significantly impact the work of the committee or support for our bill. Due to procedural rules, we will not have a public hearing before this committee, but our lobbying team will continue to meet with members of the JCHCF to garner support and we will plan a coordinated email campaign once the bill has been reassigned.

In the background of our stand-alone bills, the Governor released his Omnibus Healthcare Bill (H . 4134) on 10/18/19 that included a provision for a 2-year transition to Full Practice for NPs. The Governor’s bill will likely be heard before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing later this month, and MCNP will be presenting testimony in support of FPA language. The Governor’s bill is a very large bill and impacts many stakeholders with competing interests. Whether his bill will advance and in what form is questionable, and we anticipate that the House and Senate will be releasing their own health care bills later in the session, likely in late April/May after the FY21 budget is released.

Ultimately, we expect some version of a health care bill will be advanced with the final details to be worked out in a conference committee made up of House and Senate members. Reminiscent of last session, the big challenge will be if this can be done before the end of the formal session on 7/31/2020. The legislature faced significant criticism for not being able to pass health care reform legislation last session, so we are hoping there will be more pressure for them to do so this session, and that the final bill will include language we can support.

Given these dynamics, we fully anticipate the fate of our stand alone bills, and more realistically some version of FPA language in a larger health care bill, will not be decided until the very end of the formal session. The process will be slow, and we will be working until the very end of the session to advance our language and achieve the best possible outcome.

What you can do now …

1. Familiarize yourself with the SAVE Bill and educate your colleagues about the bill and the importance of FPA legislation.

2. Reach out to your legislators and share your story and support of the SAVE Bill. Make it personal so they remember you when we need their help to advance the bill later in the session. (CLICK HERE to find your legislators and send an email.)

3. DONATE to the MCNP Political Action Committee (PAC). The MCNP cannot use membership dues to donate to political campaigns and the PAC is the vehicle by which we can foster relationships with key legislators.

4. RENEW your MCNP membership. We cannot advance our legislation without the support of our lobbying team and your membership dues are vital to fund this work.

5. Encourage your colleagues to become MCNP members.

We wish to thank the members of our lobbying team, former House Speaker Tom Finneran from Finneran Global Strategists, and Matt Irish, Lindsay Toghill and Cayenne Isaksen from O’Neill and Associates; the members of the MCNP Legislative and Political Action Committees; and the members of the MCNP Legislative Steering Committee who continue to lead these efforts.

We will keep you informed of any updates with the Governor’s bill and movement of our NP SAVE Bill and will let you know when your action is needed.

Thank you for your continued engagement and all that you do for our patients and profession.

With your help we can make 2020 the year that Massachusetts joins the ranks of states in the nation where Nurse Practitioners have Full Practice Authority!

~The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

Legislative Updates

9/17/19

State Activity:

1. The legislative co-chairs, board and membership have had continued activity and support of H.1867 / S.1330: An Act to Support Access, Value and Equity in Health Care. Commonly referred to as them “NP SAVE Bill.”

By removing the requirement for physician supervision of prescriptive practice and aligning the Massachusetts Nurse Practice Act with national recommendations for professional licensure, the SAVE Bill will allow patients to have increased and unrestricted access to value based Nurse Practitioner care, will help decrease health care costs and address inequities in access to care for vulnerable populations.

UPDATE! Hearing for the SAVE Bill will occur on 9/24/19 in the afternoon. Be on the lookout for email updates sent out by MA NAPNAP on further progress!

2. MassNAPNAP signed on to endorse H.1141 & S.680: An Act relative to children with medical complexity – Rep. Cronin & Sen. DiDomenico.

Language of this bill was ultimately embedded into a new piece of legislation (with relevant language intact) as House Bill 4012 - An Act Relative to Children’s Health and Wellness. On July 31, 2019 the House of Representatives voted unanimously in favor of the bill.

“This omnibus legislative package includes several of Boston Children's top legislative priorities. Such as creating a study of children with medical complexity […] and recommendations to improve their access to care, ensuring that former foster youth maintain their MassHealth coverage until age 26, and requiring insurance carriers to ensure the accuracy of the information on their provider directories.”

HB4012 is now before the Senate Committee on Ways and Means and is one step closer to becoming a law.

3. MassNAPNAP signed on to endorse SD 2548: An Act Promoting Community Immunity - Senator Rausch and Leader Paul Donato

This exciting bill will:

1. STANDARDIZE: Authorize DPH to set a standard immunization schedule for all child care centers, K-12 schools, summer camps, and colleges/universities.

2. CENTRALIZE: Generate consistency in the immunization exemptions process through consolidation within the Department of Public Health (DPH), relieving individual schools/districts from the burden of managing the process.

3. MONITOR: Provide DPH with statutory authority to collect immunization data statewide.

4. NOTIFY: Mandate that covered programs notify families whenever they fall below protective rates of herd immunity and provide DPH with the responsibility to conduct outreach to parents and guardians to improve immunization rates

There will be a press conference at the statehouse on 9/24/19 to promote SD2548! Be on the lookout!

Please click here to see more: Fact_Sheet_Community_Immunity.pdf

Federal Activity:

The chapter continues to be actively engaged in NAPNAP’s Child Health Policy Learning Collaborative calls, as well as communicates with membership any call for grassroots emails or calls when indicated by national NAPNAP or the AANP. The co-chairs continue to get updates from the AANP MA state representative as well to monitor federal issues that affect practice or pediatric health care delivery to children and families.

9/15/19

NAPNAP members,

We have just received confirmation that the H.1867/S.1330: An Act to Support Access, Value and Equity in Healthcare (SAVE Bill) is on the schedule for the hearing before the Joint Committe on Public Health on Tuesday, Sept 24, 2019. There are many other bills on the agenda for that afternoon session and it is unclear when the bill will be discussed, so the MCNP legistaive and executive leadership team and those testifying will plan to be there from 1 pm on that day. Link for the information regarding the afternoon is here:

https://malegislature . gov/Events/Hearings/Detail/3271

The MCNP steering committee is currently finalizing speaker panels for oral testimony.

We will update members with more information as we get it, but given the date was just confirmed wanted to get to all members to ensure all aware in the case that you are planning to attend.

Thank you for your continued advocacy efforts and engagement as this session moves on. Progress!

Amy Delaney and Sarah Kiser

MA Chapter NAPNAP, Legislative co-chairs

8/01/2019

Hope you are all having a wonderful summer! It has been several months, but as the fall is approaching, we have an update on the NP Save bill from the MCNP legislative committee to share. A fall date for the hearing before the Joint Committee on Public Health is being confirmed at this time. See below for ways that you can start to and remain engaged as the session moves forward. Remember that approximately 6,000 bills are introduced each legislative session, and the below advocacy efforts will make a great impact on efforts to move the bill forward in the process. We thank you in advance for your continued efforts and engagement.

Amy Delaney and Sarah Kiser
MA Chapter Legislative Committee Co-Chairs

Legislative Update on MCNP SAVE Bill

July 29, 2019

Dear Colleague,

The House and Senate versions of our SAVE Bill for Full Practice Authority (H . 1867 and S . 1330), remain before the Joint Committee on Public Health (JCPH). We have been given a tentative hearing date at the end of September that we will share once confirmed.

The MCNP Legislative team has started to prepare formal testimony and encourages anyone experiencing patient care challenges under the current MA licensing restrictions to share their story by submitting written testimony. Please contact us for submission guidelines if you interested in learning more.

The timing of our grassroots campaigns during this session will be strategically coordinated with key points in the legislative cycle. Please be on the lookout for a CALL TO ACTION which will be sent out prior to our hearing date in September.

What You Can Do Now:

Get to Know Your Legislators:
Go to https://malegislature . gov/Search/FindMyLegislator to look up the names of your State Representative and State Senator, read their biographies, and see what committees they sit on. If they sit on the Joint Committee of Public Health, Health Care Finance or Ways and Means Committees, YOUR ADVOCACY efforts this session will be critical.

Introduce Yourself to Your Legislators:
Send your legislators a personal email letting them know you are a Nurse Practitioner interested in health policy, are a strong supporter of the SAVE Bill and offer to serve as a NP resource on health-related issues in your area of expertise. (CLICK HERE for sample email language.)

Donate to the MCNP Political Action Committee:
Since state and federal laws prohibit the use of member dues for the purpose of contributing to political campaigns, the PAC is the vehicle by which we can make donations to key legislators, foster strategic relationships, and raise our visibility at the State House. PAC members attend countless fundraising events throughout the year and need your financial support in order to represent your voice. CLICK HERE to DONATE NOW.

Support our Social Media Efforts:
We will be using social media to influence legislators as we advance our policy agenda in this legislative session. For our messages to carry weight, we need a large following. Please support our efforts and follow us on our social media platforms at the links below and like and share our posts.

If you have any additional questions or are interested in getting more involved in supporting our legislative efforts, please CONTACT US.

We hope you have time to relax and re-charge in the remaining weeks of the Summer as there will be much work to be done when the legislative session gets into full swing after the Summer recess.

We thank you for your continued engagement and support and remain committed to securing Full Practice Authority for Massachusetts NPs!

The Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

1/21/2019

Legislative update 1/21/19:

Happy MLK Jr. Day! We wish you a day of reflection and service as you celebrate and honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Please read this exciting release by our colleagues at the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (MCNP):

Last week the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners refiled legislation for Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners in Massachusetts. Sponsored by Senator Marc Pacheco and Representative Paul Donato and referred to as the SAVE Bill, An Act to Support Access, Value and Equity in Health Care will remove physician oversight of prescriptive practice and joint promulgation of NP regulations by the Board of Registration in Medicine. This is our 4th filing of similar legislation and based on favorable movement last session, we are hopeful we will be successful during this 2-year legislative cycle.

We will be sending out a Call to Action Email Alert later this week to start our grassroots campaign for Co-Sponsors in the House and Senate and ask you to be on the lookout for this. The campaign will also be posted on the Homepage of the MCNP website as of Tuesday 1/22/2019. With many new legislators on Beacon Hill and changes in Committee assignments and leadership, your advocacy and engagement with your legislators will be critical as we work to advance our bill.

The Massachusetts Chapter of NAPNAP is excited to partner with MCNP as we work together to advance the SAVE Bill. We will keep you informed of the bill’s progress, including calls to action, throughout this legislative session.

As we gear up for a busy legislative session, we are thankful, in advance, for your energy and support. When it comes to advancing the NP profession and providing quality, cost-effective, healthcare for our patients, the importance of legislative work cannot be overstated.

Amy Delaney

amy@delaneypnp.com

Sarah Kiser

sarahkiser@gmail.com

MA NAPNAP Legislative Co-Chairs

________________________________________________________________

CLICK HERE to read more about the MCNP SAVE Bill.

CLICK HERE to read the MCNP SAVE Bill press release.

1/6/2019

Legislative update 1/6/19:

Happy New Year to all members, and with the new year in swing, things in the political arena are back in action after the elections and holidays. We are so excited and energized to serve as co-chairs for the legislative committee for the Eastern MA Chapter NAPNAP. We have had many years of activity and interest in policy and the legislative process that impacts our patients and families, as well as our own practice environment. We also have the benefit of sitting on the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners (MCNP) Political Action Committee and Legislative Committee, and feel that this experience and knowledge will allow us to serve NAPNAP members well with ensuring you are updated on state level topics and activity, as well as national activity, given we do our very best to participate in NAPNAP’s monthly Child Health Policy Learning Collaborative calls.

As the holidays have passed, and a new year has begun, all members of the House/Senate were sworn in this past week and new members are getting settled in and awaiting committee assignments. On a state level, MCNP is preparing to refile legislation for Full Practice Authority. As with past filings, the bill will remove the requirement for prescriptive oversight and joint promulgation of APN regulations by the Board of Registration in Medicine.

MCNP plans to file identical versions of the bill in both the House and Senate and the bill title will be changing to An Act to Support Access, Value and Equity in Health Care which when lobbying we will be referring to as the NP SAVE Bill. The deadline for filing that bill is Friday, January 18, 2019 so more to come with information and grassroots needs and requests. On average it takes a bill 8 years at a minimum to pass, so keep the energy and enthusiasm up! The MCNP is very optimistic that this 4^th bill filing for Full Practice Authority will be the final one.

On a federal level, NAPNAP’s lobbyist and the leadership team continue to follow the many issues that are ongoing that affect health delivery and topics related to childhood health. For a summary of these, members can continue to be updated via the advocacy tab on NAPNAP’s website at https://www.napnap.org/advocacy.

We would encourage members to sign up for alerts that NAPNAP will send to members when emails and calls to their elected officials are needed. By doing so, this will allow you to send pre-formatted messages and letters to legislators with the details of the bill or topic that needs some “noise” and advocacy from PNPs, which then elevates this to the attention on Capitol Hill.

We would also like to encourage you to contact us if you are encountering consistent themes in practice or delivery that you feel may be obstacles to delivering care that need a closer look from a legislative standpoint, or if you need support in identifying who best to assist with obtaining answers from a policy standpoint. It is often that those caring for patients and families are the professionals that identify issues that need this closer look, so please know that we are here to also re-direct, as our collaboration with MCNP, AANP and ONL (Organization of Nurse Leaders) remains strong.

We look forward to working with the board of the Massachusetts Chapter of NAPNAP and membership, and hope to have the opportunity to meet many of you during the near future at the student night in Feb, National Conference in March, or spring symposium in April. And, we look forward to witnessing your continued engagement and activism.

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.” (John F. Kennedy)

Amy Delaney

amy@delaneypnp.com

Sarah Kiser

sarahkiser@gmail.com

7/31/2018

We Need Your Help!

Please Call Your State Representative TODAY!

With only HOURS remaining in the formal session, our LAST CHANCE to advance our language for Full Practice Authority for NPs in Massachusetts is through the Joint Healthcare Bill, and specifically with the inclusion of the Senate Language related to NP scope of practice.

The bill remains in Conference Committee with limited time to be released and voted on before the formal session ends TONIGHT!

We need you to CALL the office of your State Representative TODAY and ask them to reach out to their colleagues on the Healthcare Reform Conference Committee (Representatives Ron Mariano, Jeffrey Roy, and Randy Hunt) and ask that they work to release the Healthcare bill and include the Senate language related to NP scope of practice.

CLICK HERE to go to the MCNP Advocacy Center where there are simple instructions and a Quick & Easy-to-Deliver Telephone Script.

PLEASE SHARE THIS EMAIL WITH YOUR NP COLLEAGUES
AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SUPPORT OUR EFFORTS!

4/2018

Dear Colleague,

Despite being a leader in healthcare reform, Massachusetts has one of the most restrictive practice environments for NPs in the country and is the only state in new England without full practice authority.

In January 2017, the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners filed H. 2451/S. 1257, An Act to Contain Health Care Costs and Improve Access to Value Based Nurse Practitioner Care as Recommended by the IOM and FTC.

This is our third filing of legislation to modernize the statutes for nurse practitioners in Massachusetts and allow us as nursing professionals to practice to the full extent of our education, training and national certification.

H. 2451/S.1257 is currently before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (JCHCF), and with less than 4 months remaining in the formal session, time is running out to get it passed.

The bill must be favorably released from the JCHCF by April 25, 2018 if it is to advance in the legislative process.

We are asking all MCNP members to contact your legislators TODAY to request their help in advocating for a favorable release of the bill from committee.

We have posted a new email campaign on the MCNP website that focuses on the potential cost savings for the Commonwealth if our bill is passed.

It only takes a moment to send a pre-formatted email, and every email sent makes a difference.

Our patients deserve unrestricted access to high-quality, cost-effective health care, and they need your advocacy to make this a reality.

Please ACT NOW and reach out to your NP colleagues and ask them to do the same.

We have also posted a campaign that can be shared with Family, Friends and NP Supporters.

Thank you for your advocacy!

The MCNP Legislative Team

Massachusetts NAPNAP Legislative Team

MCNP ACT NOW LINK