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Florida HB 607 - APRNs Can Now Admit, Care, Discharge Patients without Physician Oversight

Client Alert
March 25, 2020

Earlier this month, lawmakers in both chambers of the Florida legislature passed House Bill 607 — legislation which would allow advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, to single-handedly admit, care for, and discharge patients from medical facilities.  This would effectively eliminate the need for physician oversight, a costly expense for independent nurse practitioners.

Proponents of House Bill 607 believe that allowing APRNs greater autonomy, as this legislation will do, has the power to fill the gap of much-needed health care services in rural Florida communities.

Although the new law will eliminate the need for an attending physician’s approval and, as such, may arguably increase the potential for treatment mishaps, the bill provides for numerous safety measures to ensure minimal complications including clear education requirements and experience thresholds for APRNs to qualify.

Under the standards, a “qualified nurse practitioner” will have at least 3,000 hours of experience under the supervision of a physician before he/she can qualify to provide services including family medicine, general pediatrics, and general internal medicine.

House Bill 307 also includes a $5 million budget for a loan repayment program for APRNs who work in primary-care health professional shortage areas or county health departments, community health centers, migrant health centers or any other publicly funded health care programs designated by the state.

The legislation, which was signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, will go into effect on July 1, 2020.

For more information, please contact Amanda Waesch at alwaesch@bmdllc.com, or any of the Healthcare & Hospital Law Practice Attorneys at BMD.
Florida House Bill 607Florida LegislatureAPRNAdvanced Practice Registered NursesAmanda L. Waesch
Client Alert

Valley National Bank/Trulieve Loan: A Big Step Out of the Shadows

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The End of Non-Competes? The Impact It Will Have on the Healthcare Industry

January 10, 2023On January 5, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”) announced a proposed rule that, if enacted, will ban employers from entering into non-compete clauses with workers (the “Rule”), and the Rule would void existing non-compete agreements. In their Notice, the FTC stated that if the Rule were to go into effect, they estimate the overall earnings of employees in the United States could increase by $250 billion to $296 billion per year. The Rule would also require employers to rescind non-competes that they had already entered into with their workers. For purposes of the Rule, the FTC has defined “worker” to also include any employees, interns, volunteers, and contractors.”Client Alert

2022 Healthcare Recap and 2023 Healthcare Check-Up

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Direct Support Professional Retention Payments

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Real Estate Investors Position for 2023 Opportunities

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