NURSE PRACTITIONERS ASK LAWMAKERSFOR MORE FREEDOM ON COLLABORATION AGREEMENTS

Nurse practitioners have been rallying in Harrisburg for greater independence in their practicing collaboration agreements with doctors.  Advocates want NPs to have full practice authority to see patients that they say would fill a gap in providing primary care.  Senate Bill 25 would eliminate the requirement to have a physician agreement to work independently. Under the proposal, certified NPs would qualify to do so after working under a collaboration agreement for three years -roughly 36-hundred hours.  The main opposition to allowing that comes from the Pennsylvania Medical Society, which represents doctors.