This week, S.B. 1564 by Senator Royce West, was heard and voted out of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee. Under federal law, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives all have the authority to prescribe buprenorphine, a common medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders. S.B.1564 would align Texas Medicaid policy with federal law by using the federal definition of "qualifying practitioner," which includes physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified registered nurse anesthetists, and certified nurse midwives. S.B.1564 would also direct the Health and Human Services Commission to amend policies and manuals that would allow for Medicaid reimbursement to these qualifying practitioners who prescribe buprenorphine.

Texas Nurse Practitioners registered in support of this legislation and will continue to track the bill throughout the legislative process.

On March 18, disaster liability legislation, HB 1353 by Representative Tom Oliverson, was heard in the Judiciary & Civil Jurisprudence Committee.

Existing Texas laws provide liability protection for volunteer health care providers who are affiliated with nonprofit organizations/the government or for facilities with nonprofit status. However, volunteer health care providers who are not affiliated with established nonprofit organizations, particularly out-of-state providers, as well as facilities that do not hold a nonprofit status, do not have the same liability protection.

In the wake of Hurricane Harvey, volunteer health care professionals from around the nation rushed to help, and the need for their services was enormous. However, many providers who were not affiliated with nonprofit organizations ultimately chose not to volunteer for fear of potential liability. HB 1353 would expand liability protection for volunteer health care providers and facilities, regardless of their tax status, that sponsor the care or assistance of patients during or in the wake of a disaster, ensuring more Texans can access needed medical care when a disaster strikes.

Texas Nurse Practitioners registered in support of this legislation and will continue to track the bill throughout the legislative process.

Wondering how TNP’s bills are faring? Below is a list of TNP bills with status updates on each.

TNP Bills, Progress Report

H.B. 278/ S.B. 311(Oliverson, Perry)
Status: Both bills heard in committee; H.B. 278 voted out of Committee and sent to Local & Consent Calendar
This bill would change requirements for monthly meetings outlined in NP Prescriptive Authority Agreements (PAAs) such that these meetings would no longer have to take place “face-to-face” and could be conducted virtually or in a manner of the physician and NP’s choosing.

H.B. 387/ S.B. 1022 (Cortez, Creighton)
Status: H.B. 387 heard in Committee; H.B. 387 voted out of Committee and sent to General Calendar
This bill would add nurse practitioners to the list of providers authorized to sign the Work Status Reports (DWC-73) for the workers’ compensation system/patients.

H.B. 912 (Howard)
Status: Referred to Subcommittee on Health Professions
This bill would create an expedited licensure process and provide additional resources to the Texas Board of Nursing for processing out-of-state APRN licensure applications.

H.B. 1792, S.B. 2438 (Klick, Rodriguez)
Status: H.B. 1792 referred to Subcommittee on Health Professions; S.B. 2438 referred to Business & Commerce Committee
This bill would provide a pathway to full practice authority for nurse practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, and certified nurse midwives who have worked under physician delegation for at least one year.

H.B. 2250, S.B. 1308 (Lucio III, Buckingham)
Status: Referred to Public Health, Health & Human Services Committees
This bill would extend delegated Schedule II prescriptive authority to all NPs and PAs, regardless of practice setting or specialty.

H.B. 2980 (Howard)
Status: Referred to Higher Education Committee; an amendment to HB 1, the House budget bill, appropriated $13.5 million to this Graduate Nursing Education Program contingent upon passage of H.B. 2980
This bill would create a new incentive program as part of the Nursing Shortage Reduction Fund to provide grants to schools who are pursuing innovative solutions for increasing the number of clinical placements/preceptorships for graduate nursing students.

S.B. 3128 (Price)
Status: Referred to Public Education Committee
This bill would recognize the signature of NPs on sports clearance forms that allow a student athlete to return to practice/competition and school following a suspected concussion.

(From Texas Health & Human Services Commission)

The nomination period for the Providing Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Services in Nursing Facilities program has been extended to April 2, 2019. HHSC is contracting with The University of Texas at Austin School of Nursing Center for Excellence in Aging Services and Long-Term Care to administer the program. The goal of the program is to determine if employment of full-time, salaried APRNs, as part of an NF care team, reduces the rates of adverse events and improves the quality of care for NF residents.

Nominations are limited to facilities in and around Austin. Nominated NFs will participate in a progressive screening process with HHSC including interviews with facility leadership. There will be three rounds of selection. With each round of selection, the pool of nominated facilities will be reduced until the final five NFs are selected. APRNs will not be part of the facility’s daily staffing count, and will not be used to satisfy the federal requirements for RN coverage in the facility

Nominate your NF. NFs must be willing to meet the requirements listed.

Email questions to QMP@hhsc.state.tx.us.