{"AmendmentNumber":"71","ParentBillNumber":"S3116","Bill":null,"Sponsor":{"Id":"BET0","Name":"Bruce E. Tarr","Type":1,"Details":"https://malegislature.gov/api/GeneralCourts/194/LegislativeMembers/BET0","ResponseDate":"2026-06-18T11:04:56.08"},"Category":null,"Action":"Rejected","RollCall":[],"Title":"Scope of Practice ","Branch":"Senate","RedraftNumber":2,"IsFurther":false,"GeneralCourtNumber":194,"Text":"Messrs. Tarr and O'Connor move that the proposed new draft be amended by adding the following section:-\r\nSECTION _. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the health policy commission, in consultation with the department of public health, the center for health information and analysis, the board of registration in medicine, the board of registration in nursing, the board of registration of physician assistants, and the board of registration in pharmacy, shall conduct a study on the primary care workforce needs of the commonwealth and the extent to which existing scope of practice statutes and regulations support or hinder the delivery of high quality, team based primary care.\r\nThe study shall include, but not be limited to, an examination of:\r\n(i) current and projected primary care workforce capacity, including physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, behavioral health clinicians, and other licensed professionals involved in primary care delivery;\r\n(ii) regulatory, statutory, administrative, or contractual barriers that limit clinicians from practicing to the full extent of their education, training, and certification, including barriers affecting pharmacists’ ability to prescribe medications for conditions that do not require a new diagnosis, are minor and self limiting, are guided by CLIA waived tests, or constitute patient emergencies, consistent with the pharmacist’s professional judgment;\r\n(iii) opportunities to expand the use of team based care models, including but not limited to collaborative practice arrangements, integrated behavioral health, expanded roles for nurse practitioners and physician assistants, and expanded pharmacist participation in primary care through prescribing authority, point of care testing, and medication management;\r\n(iv) the impact of existing scope of practice requirements on access to primary care, total medical expense, health equity, and the financial sustainability of primary care practices;\r\n(v) best practices from other states that have modernized scope of practice laws or implemented workforce expansion strategies to strengthen primary care, including states that have authorized pharmacists to prescribe medications within a standard of care framework aligned with their education and training; and\r\n(vi) recommendations for statutory or regulatory changes necessary to support a sustainable, high functioning primary care workforce, including potential updates to scope of practice requirements for pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and other licensed professionals.\r\nThe commission shall submit a report of its findings and recommendations to the clerks of the senate and house of representatives, the joint committee on health care financing, and the joint committee on public health not later than December 31, 2027.\r\n"}