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House proposes amendment to S.163 to recognize APRNs and PAs as attending providers in hospital care
Summary
The House voted to propose to the Senate an amendment to S.163 to add advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) to Vermont's Patient Bill of Rights and to clarify who may be the attending provider in hospitals; the Health Care Committee reported the amendment by a 10-0-0 vote and the House ordered third reading.
The House voted to propose to the Senate an amendment to S.163, which would update Vermont's Patient Bill of Rights to recognize advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) as possible attending providers in hospital care.
Representative Goldman, speaking for the House Health Care Committee, said the committee 'which voted 10-0-0' recommends amendments to add APRNs and PAs to the statutory definitions and to ensure patients can learn who is primarily coordinating their care. "S.163 aims to update the Patient Bill of Rights to reflect this reality," Goldman said.
Under the committee'recommended language review, the bill would add APRNs and PAs to 18 V.S.A. 's 1851 and 1852, require hospitals to identify the attending physician, PA, or APRN responsible for a patient's care, and affirm the patient's right to complete and current information about diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. The text also clarifies that, with patient consent, family or guardians may obtain that information.
The amendment would expand disciplinary pathways so that failure to comply with the Patient Bill of Rights could constitute a basis for disciplinary action against physicians, PAs, or APRNs under the licensing chapters cited in the statute (26 V.S.A. chapters 23, 33, 31, and 28). Hospitals would also be required to provide contact information for the Office of Professional Regulation and the Board of Medical Practice.
Representative Goldman listed a range of witnesses who testified for the committee, including representatives of the Vermont Medical Society, the Office of Professional Regulation, hospital associations, the Board of Medical Practice, nurse-midwifery and nurse-practitioner groups, and physician assistant organizations.
The House agreed by voice vote to propose the committee's amendment to the Senate and then voted to order a third reading of the bill. The amendment as described would take effect on passage, and the chamber recorded unanimous committee support in its recommendation.
A third reading will occur as the bill proceeds through the House calendar.
