SB 12 allows emergency departments and those designated as a Level IV Trauma center to be covered by advanced practice providers under off-site physician supervision. Emergency departments care for undifferentiated, unstable patients where rapid, bedside physician decision-making is critical. Remote supervision cannot replace the presence of an on-site emergency physician when seconds matter.

In many rural hospitals, the emergency physician is often the only physician in the building overnight and serves as the safety net for the entire facility. SB 12 weakens this safety net and lowers the standard of care for patients who walk through the doors marked “EMERGENCY.”