Legislation was recently introduced in the Michigan Senate that, if passed, would grant full autonomy to nurse practitioners (NP) in the state. Among the provisions of Senate Bill 680 are allowing NPs, without undergoing additional training or education, to care for patients absent of physician supervision or collaboration, and to prescribe opioids and other controlled substances.

Data shows that team-based, physician-led care results in better quality outcomes, higher patient and physician satisfaction, and more cost-effective care. This is especially true when comparing collaborative care with the type of independent practice sought by allied health professionals such as nurse practitioners. Paramount is that the interests of patients are best served when their care is provided by a physician or through an integrated practice supervised directly by a physician, as the education and training of physicians and allied health professionals is not interchangeable. Through their expansive training, which consists of and average of 21,700 training and clinical hours, physicians bring a broader and deeper expertise to the diagnosis and treatment of health problems. Comparatively, nurse practitioners are required to have approximately 5,350 training and clinical hours.

To amplify our work on scope of practice issues to protect the safety of patients and the practice of family medicine, MAOFP has joined MiACCT (Michigan for Advancing Collaborative Care Teams), a collaboration of more than 20 healthcare organizations in the state committed to growing, strengthening, and preserving physician-led, team-based care.

Make sure your Senator knows Nurse Practitioners should be part of the care team, not independent from it and to vote NO on Senate Bill 680.

Take Action

Visit the MiACCT Website