A study shows the country is on the verge of a doctor shortage, but one lawmaker in Ohio says she has a plan to fill the gap. The is just the latest attempt to expand the authority of advance practice nurses.
Republican Representative Theresa Gavarone wants to allow advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, to independently take care of patients without 鈥渕andatory collaboration agreements鈥� with doctors.
Jesse McClain with the says these agreements are overly burdensome, adding that it鈥檚 becoming harder to get these agreements because large hospital networks are buying up physician practices.
鈥淢ost physicians won鈥檛 sign your standard care arrangement because the hospitals systems may not allow them unless you鈥檙e also employed by that hospital system, said McClain.
The , representing doctors, was against a similar proposal two years ago. The legislature ended up passing a bill that expanded flexibility for APRNs but kept the collaboration agreement in law.
