Hello again NP friends!  You will continue getting frequent updates this spring regarding our current bill. Here is the latest message from our president of KAPN (Kansas Advance Practice Nurses):

Kansas APRNs,

Please review the notes below and send emails! These next 2 weeks are critical for legislator contacts. We have a great chance of progressing in the legislative process, do your part!

Merilyn Douglass APRN

KAPN president

 

KAPN Conference Call March 6, 2018 Notes

38 participants, Ron and Julie Hein

1. Update on HB 2066, APRN statutes                       -

• Feb 11thhearing in the Health Human Service Committee
• Feb 26thvoted on and passed out of HHS committee with our proposed amendment. An amendment to table the bill for 1 year failed 13-2 (proposed by Representative Dr. Eplee)
• Feb 27thScheduled for debate on House of Representatives floor. Pulled off the agenda by the Speaker of the House. “blessed” the bill, meaning it will be a live bill through the entire session rather than having to die on the turn-around date of Feb. 28th.
• Mar. 6thscheduled  for “final action” in the HHS committee you can listen to the live stream, go to Kansas legislature, Health and Human Service Committee
• TBA  hearing and debate on the floor of House of Representatives

 

1. The physicians continue to send emails to all legislators. The APRN campaign responded fairly well. Need to continue to send emails, call legislators, send faxes. Find 10-20 family members, friends to send emails to their legislators in support of HB 2066.Tell a simple story about an interaction with an APRN. See patient template below.

1. APRNs, send another email to your legislator this week!  emphasize support of HB 2066 without Board of Healing Arts regulation. You are welcome to use some or all of the email template below. Remember, legislators prefer personal messages, not form letters. Do what fits in your schedule please, numbers of emails do matter.

1. Clarify National certification comments from Dr. Eplee facebook post. His facts are incorrect, Kansas is one of 3 states who do not require national certification. Do not get into unprofessional debate on facebook. State the facts only.

 

1. Need more information about states with dual board regulation- Michelle Knowles and Jill Ariagno are working on  a document for the Heins.

 

1. Collaborative Practice Agreement information survey- Merilyn will send out surveymonkey to KAPN members.

 

1. Next meeting March 20th, 2019  Uber conference call 8:00 pm.

 

Every single message counts

Keep it simple

Stick to the facts

Use positive language

Think from the listeners perspective

Avoid judgement

Focus on how patients and family caregivers are affected

Do not talk about how you or other nurses are affected

Do not say NPS can take the place of doctors

Do not make it about doctors versus nurses

 

 

APRN template-

Representative____________

My name  is __________________ and I live in_____________.  I am asking for your support of HB 2066 which updates the APRN statutes. This bill will remove regulatory barriers so that APRNs can establish primary care practices in Kansas, provide more choices of healthcare providers to Kansans.

Primary health care is the center of improving health and well-being:

• Primary health care has been proven to be a highly effective and efficient way to address the main causes and risks of poor health and well-being today, as well as handling the emerging challenges that threaten health and well-being tomorrow.
• NO ONE can deny that more health care would be beneficial to all, but especially rural communities.

Do not support regulation of APRNs by the Board of Healing Arts:

• It is true, education paths differ. Advanced practice nurses are certified, trained and educated to care for a population of people, and we are not physician substitutes nor do we pretend to be. Our goal is to provide advanced practice nursing health care to Kansans.
• The physician groups contend that APRNs should have legal limitations on their practice that reflect their training and education. The proposed statute includes the boundaries of APRN scope of practice, see page 2 of the bill.
• The physician groups contend that APRNs should be regulated by the Board on Healing Arts.

o   Regulation by the Board of Healing Arts would create unfair regulation of a profession by a competing profession, thereby denying healthcare consumers the benefits of a greater competition. (Federal Trade Commission)

o   The 2016 CNM law is an example of a failed joint-governance. The Board of Healing Arts and the Board of Nursing have not yet agreed on regulation language; created a complex dual-licensure by 2 boards, creating unnecessary duplication of licensure, red tape and overhead cost associated with dual-licensure.

o   The unfair advantage of a board comprised of 8 physicians would restrict APRN practice more than it is today; consumers would lose the benefit of health care competition.

The Board of Nursing is the appropriate regulatory board for advanced practice nursing:

• APRNs assess, diagnose and make health care decisions as advanced practice nurses
• The Board of Nursing has an APRN committee composed of APRNs that oversees APRN practice, and a board of nurses with the knowledge of nursing regulation.

Reminding you- this is not a battle between physicians and APRNs. This is about increasing access to health care for Kansans provided by APRN primary care providers. Quality care at a lower cost. It is time to support HB 2066.

Thank you for your valued service to Kansas. I would appreciate hearing your thoughts about this issue. Please reply back at your convenience.

APRN caring for all of Kansas,

Kansans choose APRNs,

Name______

Address_____---

Phone number

Patient template

A suggestion for an email:

Dear Representative ____________,

My name is ________________ and I am writing to ask you to support HB 2066, APRN statute updates.  (Tell your story)

This bill will facilitate APRNs to be primary care providers in Kansas. We need more APRN primary care providers, especially in rural areas, to provide needed access to health care. Many communities struggle to recruit physicians who will stay, where as APRNs are the profession who will stay in the rural areas and care for the populations of people that need it the most, the underserved and the geographic-challenged communities. Health care is a precious commodity that all communities want to preserve. Utilizing APRNs to their fullest extent can help rural hospitals save on health care costs/overhead; we need to support every effort to decrease costs.

APRNs provide the majority of mental health medication management in rural Kansas. Rural communities have a high rate of mental health issues, suicide, depression and substance abuse. Recruiting  a psychiatrist is especially difficult. These APRNs deserve our support so that their work continues seamlessly without the worry of finding the next psychiatrist to sign their work agreement.

HB 2066 makes sense for Kansas.  22 states and the Veterans Administration Healthcare system have already adopted this legislation, and their people are already enjoying increased access to care, less delays for appointments.  Please support this bill.

I would be happy to discuss this further with you, please feel free to contact me.  Thank you for your valued service to our great state.

Sincerely,

Your name____

Address

phone number