Nurse practitioner changes advanced

Lawmakers gave first-round approval Feb. 6 to a bill intended to address the shortage of primary care providers in rural Nebraska.

LB107, introduced by Bellevue Sen. Sue Crawford, would remove the requirement for an integrated practice agreement between a nurse practitioner and a collaborating physician and replace it with a transition to practice agreement.

Crawford said the bill was identical to one she sponsored last session, which passed on a 43-0 vote before being vetoed by former Gov. Dave Heineman.

“LB107 does not change the scope of practice for nurse practitioners,” Crawford said. “The bill is about a restriction of trade and a government regulation that currently does not improve patient safety or outcomes.”

The bill would replace the integrated practice agreement with a transition to practice agreement. The agreement would provide that the nurse practitioner and the supervising provider practice collaboratively within the framework of their respective scopes of practice.

A supervising provider is defined as a physician, osteopathic physician or nurse practitioner licensed and practicing in the same practice specialty, related specialty or field of practice. A nurse practitioner would be required to have 10,000 hours of practice to qualify as a supervising provider.

Grand Island Sen. Mike Gloor supported the bill, saying it had overwhelming support last session but that lawmakers ran out of time in the session to pursue a veto override. He said the bill would be an incentive for nurse practitioners to stay in Nebraska, particularly in rural areas.

“This bill is important as a small step to address some of our workforce issues,” he said.

Crete Sen. Laura Ebke expressed concerns about a possible increase in malpractice claims against nurse practitioners should the bill pass.

“I think, before we go too far down the path, I’d like to see us at least consider how we structure this,” she said.

Crawford said research from other states that grant full practice authority to nurse practitioners have not seen an increase in malpractice claims.

Senators voted 35-2 to advance LB107 to select file.