Health Committee Chairman Introduces NP Full Practice Bill!!

New legislation introduced today (2/21/19) would help assure direct access to health care for the state’s growing and diverse population by removing antiquated barriers and granting full practice authority to California nurse practitioners.

Authored by Assembly Member Jim Wood, (D-Santa Rosa), the Chair of the Assembly Health Committee, Assembly Bill 890 comes on the heels of a groundbreaking new report from the California Future Health Workforce Commission, which concluded that maximizing the role of nurse practitioners is a critical step in alleviating the state’s shortage of primary care providers.

“The experts agree – full practice authority for NPs will help our health care system by increasing primary care providers across California, especially in rural communities that are in desperate need, and generate a significant cost savings by decreasing emergency room visits and hospital stays,” said California Association for Nurse Practitioners (CANP) President Karen Bradley, DNP. “Now we must intensify our focus on grassroots outreach to state legislators. CANP members educating our elected leaders about this bill will be critical to helping Assembly Member Wood’s effort to bring full practice authority to California.”

AB 890 will grant specified NPs full practice authority, allowing them to work to the full extent of their education and training, in order to ensure direct access to the health care delivery system for millions of Californians who now have access to coverage, but often struggle to find health care providers. NPs would work within a specified scope of practice, without physician supervision. To qualify for this new model, NPs must hold a national certification, an education requirement beyond what is required by California law, and must carry medical malpractice insurance.

While Wood is the primary author, the bill has attracted a bipartisan group of nine co-authors, including Assembly Members Susan Talamantes Eggman (D-Stockton), Celia Aguiar-Curry (D-Winters), Laura Friedman (D-Burbank), James Gallagher (R-Yuba City), and Mike Gipson (D-Carson), and Senators Jeff Stone (R-Temecula), Anna Caballero (D-Salinas), Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo), and Connie Leyva (D-Chino).

California is one of 28 states that restrict practice for nurse practitioners and is the only one in the West, according to the California Health Care Foundation.

Grassroots outreach to legislators on the part of CANP members will play a vital role in promoting the bill's advance through the legislative process. Among the ways to join the effort are:

• Working with your CANP chapter to organize district office visits with legislators and their staff

• Joining colleagues for CANP Lobby Day, taking place this year on May 13 in Sacramento

• Engaging on social media to help spread awareness, bring others into the cause and target key messages to elected officials

Members should be sure to consult our Grassroots Resource Center for information and tools to assist in outreach efforts, including fact sheets, news articles, and academic studies supporting full practice authority for nurse practitioners. Refer back to the Grassroots Resource Center for new tools as they are developed.