SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2615
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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SENATE, March 24, 2020.
The committee on Senate Ways and Means to whom was referred the House Bill relative to host community agreements (House, No. 4398), - reported, in part, a "Bill ensuring access to qualified health professionals" (Senate, No. 2615).
For the committee,
Michael J. Rodrigues
FILED ON: 3/24/2020
SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2615
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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-First General Court
(2019-2020)
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An Act ensuring access to qualified health professionals.
Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to expand forthwith the scope of practice for certain nurses and pharmacists, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public health.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
SECTION 1. For the purposes of this section, “medication order” shall mean an order for medication entered on a patient’s medical record maintained at a hospital, other health facility or ambulatory health care setting registered under this chapter that is dispensed only for immediate administration at the facility to the ultimate user by an individual who administers such medication under this chapter.
Notwithstanding subsection (g) of section 7 of chapter 94C of the General Laws or any other general or special law to the contrary, a nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialist may be registered pursuant to subsection (f) of section 7 of chapter 94C of the General Laws and, if registered, shall have independent practice authority to issue written prescriptions and medication orders and order tests and therapeutics pursuant to said subsection (f) of said section 7 and section 9 of said chapter 94C; provided, however, that such authority shall only apply if the nurse practitioner, nurse anesthetist, nurse midwife or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialist has completed not less than 2 years of supervised practice following certification from a certifying body recognized by the board of registration in nursing; provided, however, the board of registration in nursing may reduce the 2-year period of supervised practice for nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists if it deems that it is necessary to ensure safe and adequate access to nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives or psychiatric nurse mental health clinical specialists.
SECTION 2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, for the purposes of chapter 111 of the General Laws, the term “health care provider” shall include a registered pharmacist.
SECTION 3. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, for the purposes of sections 12 and 21 of chapter 123 of the General Laws, the word “physician” shall include a qualified advanced practice registered nurse.
SECTION 4. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public health may issue guidance on the implementation of this act. The guidance may include, but shall not be limited to, an expedited or abbreviated registration process under section 1.
SECTION 5. Sections 1 to 4, inclusive, are hereby repealed.
SECTION 6. Section 5 shall take effect 90 days after termination of the governor’s March 10, 2020 declaration of a state of emergency.