Advocacy

PAs who are combatting the nation’s opioid epidemic will have more flexibility in two states due to favorable decisions made by their licensing boards.

Representatives from PAs for Puerto Rico and AAPA’s Advocacy team recently met with the office of Puerto Rico’s new Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon (designated as Resident Commissioner). They discussed Puerto Rico’s healthcare crisis and why authorizing PAs to practice on the island is part of the solution.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed S.B. 1014 into law today. The new legislation, which becomes effective on September 7, 2017, allows PAs to work with “collaborating” rather than “supervising” physicians, expands PA prescriptive authority for Schedule III medications to 30 days from the current restriction of 72 hours, allows PAs to be reimbursed at the same rate as physicians and APRNs by prohibiting discrimination by insurance plans, adds an additional PA to the medical board, and authorizes PAs to sign an extensive list of forms that previously had to be signed by a physician, including death certificates.

PAs in Mississippi celebrated key improvements to their PA rules this spring when new regulations were adopted by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure (MSBML). MSBML, the Mississippi State Medical Association, and the Mississippi Academy of PAs (MAPA), worked together to promote the revision. AAPA staff supported MAPA’s advocacy by preparing draft changes, position statements, and comprehensive research.

Despite significant interference by the National Commission on Certification of PAs (NCCPA) that put PA practice at risk in the state, the Illinois State Senate unanimously approved a 10-year extension of the Illinois PA Practice Act, which reflects the collaborative nature of PA practice and improves PA billing and ratio requirements.

New Mexico PAs will have greater autonomy due to the enactment of H.B. 215, which was signed into law by Gov. Susana Martinez on April 6, 2017. The legislation was the product of months of negotiations among the New Mexico Academy of PAs, the New Mexico Medical Board, the New Mexico Medical Society, and the Greater Albuquerque Medical Association. The bill, which goes into effect on June 6, 2017, makes several changes to PA practice in the state.

Utah Gov. Gary Herbert recently signed SB 162 repealing the state’s requirement for PAs to have all chart entries that contain a Schedule II or III prescription co-signed by a physician. This bill is the result of the outstanding advocacy work of the Utah Academy of PAs (UAPA) who championed the bill as their legislative priority for 2017.

PAs in Mississippi will have greater impact on combating the opioid epidemic in their state as a result of two new laws enacted in mid-March: H.B. 996 and H.B. 1032. Like many states, Mississippi is working to address increased abuse of prescription opioids and heroin.