| |
House Panel Approves APRN Scope of Practice Bill
|
|
| |
A subcommittee of the House 3M Committee met Tuesday morning and approved S.345. The legislation reforms the practice requirements for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in South Carolina.
The legislation has already been amended and approved by the Senate Medical Affairs Committee and the full Senate. As approved, the bill is a compromise between provider groups which changes the physician supervision requirements to a practice agreement between a physician and an APRN; eliminates the mileage radius requirement for how close a collaborating physician and APRN must be located; and increases the number of APRNs a physician can collaborate with from three to six full-time equivalents. S.345 also allows APRNs to prescribe Schedule II drugs if outlined in their practice agreement for certain lengths of time.
Stephanie Burgess testified to the subcommittee on behalf of the APRNs to share their strong support of this legislation and express appreciation to all the stakeholder groups involved in the compromise. Many groups were at the negotiating table throughout discussions, including SC Medical Association, SC Academy of Family Practice, AARP, CVS Minute Clinic, New Morning Foundation, SC Hospital Association, SC Department of Mental Health, the small business Chamber, Michelin, and others.
Representative Clary was the sponsor of the House companion bill to S.345 and expressed his support of this compromise. He has been involved in this issue since his first year in the legislature and is very pleased with the efforts put forward this year, thanking all those involved in coming to the compromise language.
S.345 received a favorable report with no amendments from the subcommittee. The panel also approved S.506 and S.962. S.506 extends the length of a prescription a pharmacist can dispense during a declared state of emergency, not including controlled substances. S.962 deals with the licensure of addiction counselors. |
|
|
Top
|
| |
Senate Approves 2018-2019 Budget
|
|
| |
The senate worked diligently this week to approve their version of the spending bill for the upcoming state fiscal year beginning July 1.
The budget approved this week includes:
- $26 million to DHHS for maintenance of the Medicaid program
- $1 million in additional funding for telemedicine
- $4.8 million to increase the rates for autism services through Medicaid, which equates to a rate of $31/hour for qualified ABA services
- $59 million in recurring funds to help cover increases in premiums for state employees on the State Health Plan, including no out-of-pocket expenses for annual well visits
- $11 million to DAODAS and DHHS for the prevention and treatment of opioid abuse disorder
- $2.6 million for Adult Protective Services, including funding through Medicaid for emergency beds when vulnerable adults end up in the emergency room
- $500,000 in rollover funds from the 2017-2018 fiscal year, if available, for crisis stabilization through the Department of Mental Health
The provisos for adult protective services and crisis stabilization were not included in the House-passed version of the budget but are very important to providing adequate healthcare for all populations in the state. We will work with legislators and stakeholder groups to keep this funding in the final budget for the year. |
|
|
Top
|
| |
In Other News
|
|
| |
- Infant Safe Sleep: A subcommittee of the House 3M committee passed S.891 unanimously on Thursday morning. This legislation adds safe sleep practices for infants and sudden unexpected infant death syndrome to the information that must be presented to new parents in South Carolina. The SC Birth Outcomes Initiative has been working on safe sleep habits, adding the issue to the groups priorities and already beginning work with DHEC on adding this information to the shaken baby video.
- Planned Parenthood: The Senate spent several hours Thursday debating funding for planned parenthood and similar organizations through the Department of Health and Human Services. The amendments introduced to defund abortion-providing organization would have caused the state to lose federal dollars for Medicaid in the amount of approximately $30 million. The amendments were tabled and not included in the approved budget.
- Legislative Luncheon a Success: Thank you to everyone who joined us for our annual legislative luncheon on Wednesday. Nearly 100 hospital executives and employees came to the State House grounds to eat and discuss healthcare issues with their legislators. The event was a great success and we could not have done it without your participation and engagement. If you were unable to attend, please consider attending next year to be sure your voice is heard!
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Chamber Action
|
|
| |
- H.4950 - 2018-2019 Appropriations Act - amended and received 3rd reading in Senate
- H.4951 - 2018-2019 Capital Reserve Fund - received 3rd reading in Senate
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Committee Action
|
|
| |
- S.962 (Alexander) - provides criteria and licensure requirements for addiction counselors through LLR - favorable, House 3M subcommittee
- S.506 (Shealy and Rankin) - increases the amount of a medication a pharmacist may dispense as an emergency refill during a state of emergency to a 30-day supply - favorable, House 3M subcommittee
- S.345 (Davis) - expands the scope of practice for certain nursing professionals - favorable, House 3M subcommittee
- S.891 (Shealy) - requires hospitals to include safe sleep practices and the causes of sudden infant death syndrome in information distributed to parents after birth - favorable, House 3M subcommittee
|
|
|
Top
|
| |
Intros of Interest
|
|
| |
- H.5226 - requires certain dental services to be covered under Medicaid medical expenses program for nursing home residents - referred to House Ways and Means Committee
|
|
|
Top
|
|
April 13, 2018
|
|
