Two harmful pieces of legislation to grant advanced practice registered nurses (APRN) independent practice authority were defeated in Oklahoma and Wisconsin. The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) recognizes the hard work and accomplishments of its members and the physician community in these states, with special recognition of the Oklahoma State Radiological Society (OSRS) and the Wisconsin Radiological Society (WRS) for their advocacy efforts. While both bills passed their respective legislatures with bipartisan support, they were vetoed by their governors.
In Oklahoma, Senate Bill (SB) 458 would have granted APRNs the ability to practice without a physician’s supervision and would have allowed them to prescribe Schedules III through V controlled substances. The OSRS joined multiple other physician organizations to vigorously oppose the bill. “As physicians, we are glad that the governor prioritized the healthcare of the citizens of Oklahoma by vetoing a harmful piece of SOP legislation,” said Sharon D’Souza, MD, OSRS president. “We look forward to working with the state legislature and the governor moving forward to ensure that patients throughout Oklahoma receive the highest quality physician-led care, at the lowest cost, and with optimal clinical outcomes.”
In Wisconsin, SB 145 would have given APRNs full practice authority. This is the second consecutive year that Gov. Evers vetoed this piece of legislation. Year after year, WRS has continued to advocate strongly against this legislation and joined forces with other physician advocacy groups. “We thank Governor Evers for making the effort to understand this issue and act in the best interest of patients. While our state medical organizations believe the status quo supervisory requirements and relationships with physicians are best for patient care, a compromise to increase APNP clinical experience before being granted full practice independence and title protection for providers was supported by the governor to balance access and patient care issues. The nurses refused this compromise. By vetoing this bill as he did last year, Governor Evers prioritized best patient care in this higher demand, evolving healthcare environment," said Gregg Bogost, MD, FACR, WRS Government Relations Chair.
Both the OSRS and WRS are past recipients of American College of Radiology Association® (ACRA®) Scope of Practice (SOP) Fund grants. These grants are open to any state radiological society and are meant to assist chapters with their advocacy efforts when battling harmful non-physician SOP expansion.
For more information about state legislative activities, or if you’d like more information about the ACRA SOP grant, contact Eugenia Brandt, ACR Senior Government Affairs Director, or Dillon Harp, ACR Senior Government Relations Specialist.