After 45 days of committee meetings, legislative debate, lobby days, and budget conversations, the General Assembly session of 2023 has adjourned Sine Die.
Legislation that was passed out of both chambers will now be sent to the Governor for him to sign, offer amendments, or veto.
Legal protections for threatening a provider
The MSV worked with Delegate Bell to increase legal protections for threatening a healthcare provider in care settings outside the hospital – including physician offices and free clinics.
Mental health question on DHP applications
The MSV worked closely with the Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes Foundation to change the mental health question on Department of Health Professions applications and further reduce the stigma around doctors getting help for depression, anxiety, and burnout.
Bills dealing with telehealth and telemedicine
The MSV also worked closely with Dr. Rheuban and the Virginia Telehealth Network to amend bills dealing with telehealth and telemedicine to ensure patient safety while also expanding access.
Reforming Certificate of Public Need (COPN)
The MSV remains committed to increasing access to care and decreasing costs for patients by reforming Certificate of Public Need (COPN). The MSV worked with Senator Petersen and Delegate Robinson to implement an expedited review for certain projects under COPN. Although the legislation did not progress this year, the ongoing conversations around COPN reform have continued to gain support in both chambers.
Standards for independently-practicing healthcare providers
Our team worked to oppose many pieces of legislation that lower the amount of training or create different standards for different types of independently practicing healthcare providers:
Legislation was introduced to entirely remove the five years of supervised training required before a nurse practitioner may be independently responsible for a patient. This supervision requirement was implemented when autonomous practice was created for NPs in Virginia in 2018 to align the education and training requirements with what physicians get in residency. Ultimately this legislation was defeated after strong opposition from the physician community and leadership from the MSV.
Similar legislation was introduced to remove the physician supervision requirements for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNAs)
Legislation was introduced for the second year in a row to create a new health profession known as Associate Physicians, which are medical school graduates who have passed Step I and Step II but have not completed residency training. Residency programs are an essential pillar of physician education, providing specialized, practical training for 3-7 years and up to 16,000 hours of direct clinical care depending on specialty. The MSV opposed lowering the training standards for practicing medicine. After working closely with the patron, the issue will be studied by the Department of Health Professions and a report will be sent to the General Assembly for consideration in 2024.
Join WCOC 365 for legislative updates and advocacy opportunities. And to help ensure the MSV can continue being successful in the legislature, contribute to the MSVPAC – the only PAC representing the unified voice of medicine.
