House committee hears competing testimony on bill to let nurse practitioners practice independently

Lansing — The House Health Policy Committee resumed testimony on House Bill 43 99, a broad proposal that would remove certain physician delegation and supervision requirements for nurse practitioners and allow independent practice in many settings.

Supporters — including university clinic leaders, community health centers and primary care associations — said ending mandatory collaborative contracts would improve access to care, reduce administrative costs and make it easier to hire clinicians to serve underserved and rural areas. "The best solution for our clinic and others like ours is to retire these contracts entirely," said Anne Sheehan, assistant dean for faculty practice at Michigan State University's College of Nursing, describing a nurse‑run family medicine clinic whose new‑patient wait dropped from 45 days to eight days after opening. Sheehan told the committee physician contract fees in…