Michigan Nurse Practitioners – Action Needed!
The House Health Policy Committee anticipates a vote on the revised bill for Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority (HB4399) as soon as this Wednesday, October 29!
Reach out to your representatives now:
https://www.votervoice.net/AANP/1/Campaigns/131035/Respond
This bill is the result of several years of hard work and recent good-faith political negotiations with a broad range of stakeholders.
Specific changes to this bill that will lead to full practice authority for Michigan NPs include:
- It defines a threshold for NP practice hours (>1000) and 15 hours of CE in pharmacology/therapeutics each renewal to phase out delegation agreements for controlled substances prescribing.
- NPs with less than 1000 practice hours will be able to prescribe controlled substances when they have a delegation agreement contract with a physician or experienced NP until the above requirements are met (note that prescriptive authority could not be obtained from experienced NPs in the past – this is a modernization of the delegation requirements)
- Michigan NPs will be eligible to apply for a direct MI Controlled Substance license, which will improve transparency and accountability
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners has made it very easy to reach out to your representative to request support for this bill using the link above. It is important that all of us respond to this call for action as stakeholders who oppose this legislation are doing the same. Please consider adding your own paragraph about the care you deliver. You may want to focus on how you provide access to care in a critical area, collaborate with interprofessional colleagues to fill a gap in our healthcare system, or strive to apply evidence-based practice to enhance the mental health care of children and their families in your district.
Personal stories are especially impactful! We would also like to encourage all healthcare consumers (family, friends, patients, etc.) to use their voice regarding this important bill. During conversations with our representatives in the past, I have shared true stories of delays that my grandparents have encountered due to limited access to providers and the difference that an NP has made in their access to health care in a rural Michigan community.
Share this link with healthcare consumers, family, and friends:
https://betterhealthaccess.org/on-the-map/michigan/
Let’s be part of the solution: 2.6 million Michigan citizens live without adequate access to healthcare. We could become the 28th state to grant Full Practice Authority to NPs and further enhance the lives of the patients and families we care for. Please take a few minutes to send your letter today!