Bill would allow Wisconsin nurses to work independently of a physician
WI bipartisan health care bill for nurses
A bipartisan bill that's likely to get signed into law would allow advanced nurses with four years of practice to work independently of a physician.
MADISON, Wis. - It's health news that could make a big difference for many Wisconsinites.
It’s a bipartisan bill supporters say may lead to more options for your health care.
13 years in the making
What we know:
This proposal has survived 13 years of debate and two vetoes from the governor.
But, now, the bill has changed, and his office says he'll sign it.
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Right now, when you visit a Wisconsin nurse practitioner, he or she must have a written collaboration agreement with a physician.
Working at the hospital
What they're saying:
"For a lot of these folks, we have to pay these physicians, so nurses that are practicing independently now have to pay a collaborator, a physician, and that can be very expensive. They want a percentage of your business, they want a dollar amount monthly," said Gina Dennik-Champion from the Wisconsin Nurses Association.
But, the Wisconsin legislature approved a bipartisan bill.
The bill would allow advanced nurses with four years of practice to work independently of a physician.
"This is going to help underserved areas in every corner of the state," said State Senator Patrick Testin.
The Wisconsin Nurses Association says the state has 7,500 nurse practitioners.
Medical workers
"They’re really helping to fill the shortage gap of physicians, where the biggest demand for physicians is primary care," added Gina.
It would allow the state to license advanced practice nurses in four roles:
- Certified nurse midwives
- Certified registered nurse anesthetist
- Clinical nurse specialist
- Nurse practitioner
It includes nurse practitioners and certified nurse midwives.
Capitol in Madison
What they're saying:
"I feel very lucky that all three of my children were delivered by certified nurse midwives, and they provided incredible care to me and my family, when I was pregnant, during my labor and delivery, and in my post-partum period," said State Senator Kelda Roys.
However, the Wisconsin Medical Society, which represents doctors, has opposed previous versions of the proposal.
"Physicians really do believe that the gold standard for high-quality healthcare is physician-led, team-based care. And while this kind of moves away from that, we’ll all be seeing what goes on going forward. We all need to help and all work together on the workforce shortages across all of health care," said Mark Grapentine of the Wisconsin Medical Society.
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The Wisconsin Council on Medical Education and Workforce’s 2021 report shows the health care workers' needs.
It expects needs to grow, and it estimates the state will need thousands more doctors by 2035.
The report finds advanced practice nurses have grown 6.6% a year, while physicians' growth rate is 0.5% a year.
With the governor's promised signature, Wisconsin would become the 28th state to allow advanced practice nurses to be independent of a physician.
The bill would require independent advanced nurses to pay into the state's injured patients and families compensation fund.
Doctors already pay into that fund.
And if these new licensed nurses would do certain pain management, they'd still need to work with a physician trained in pain management.
The Source: FOX6 spoke to legislators and officials from the Wisconsin Medical Society and the Wisconsin Nurses Association to produce this story.