CLEAR

West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners without board members

After a legislative audit of the West Virginia Board of Funeral Service Examiners revealed instance of neglect and fraudulent activity, a bill was introduced to transfer the Board's duties and powers to the Secretary of State's Office. A version of the bill passed in the House and Senate, but after some technical amendments to the text, the final bill was not considered in the House before the end of the session. Members of the Board had resigned their positions, and the three remaining members were not confirmed by the Senate. Thus the governor will have to appoint a new board. Regina Anderson, the Board's executive director, has indicated that her office can continue to issue licenses and take care of daily operations but cannot handle complaints without a board.

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Update: Illinois governor vetoes gun dealer licensing bill

Illinois governor Bruce Rauner has vetoed a bill that would have required gun dealers to be licensed by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The governor noted that the federal government already licenses firearms retailers and "another layer of oversight would do little to improve public safety." Following the veto, the Senate continued to vote on various gun reform legislation. A vote to override the veto will be called in April, requiring 36 votes to overturn Rauner. Meanwhile, candidates for Illinois Governor spoke about gun control policies.

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Report urges suicide prevention training for health professionals

A recent article in Scientific American reports that less than half of U.S. mental health professionals are trained in recognizing risk for suicide and suicide prevention. "Crisis response planning" has been shown to reduce suicide attempts by 76% compared with other treatment methods. Statistics indicate that 77% of people who commit suicide had contact with their primary care provider in the last year of their life, but most physicians have not had training in suicide prevention. Ten states currently have laws requiring psychologists to complete six hours of suicide risk assessment and intervention training for licensure, while four states encourage but do not require the training. Washington state requires the training for all health workers.

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Update: Florida rejects changes to lieutenant governor role

The Florida state Constitution Review Commission has voted against a constitutional amendment to require the lieutenant governor to oversee a department of the executive branch, such as the Department of Business and Professional Regulation for example. The Commission noted that some agency-head positions require specialized skills that may not be a fit with the individual in the role of lieutenant governor.

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Health Minister calls for review of College of Dental Surgeons of BC

The Health Minister has called for a review of the administrative and operational practices of the College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia. The review will be conducted by the UK's Professional Standards Authority.

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New research on physician, nurse practitioner practice locations

New research from the University of Michigan School of Nursing reveals that physicians, physician assistants and chiropractors tend to practice in more affluent areas, while nurse practitioners practice in lower income areas. Areas with the highest income and higher life expectancy had 30% more physicians and 15% fewer nurse practitioners. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners indicated that the study findings are in line with the trends they've seen in the 22 states that allow patients direct access to nurse practitioners for care.

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Indiana considers transition to teaching program

A bill under consideration in Indiana would allow teachers to teach in the classroom with an initial practitioners' license. A transition to teaching program would be developed to mentor and assist those teachers with moving towards full licensure. An initial practitioner's license would have a requirement of passing an exam of basic reading, writing and math; pedagogy; and, for elementary education, reading instruction.

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CNA explores expanded membership

The Canadian Nurses Association is considering expanding its membership categories to include licensed/registered practical nurses and registered psychiatric nurses, partly in response to changes in British Columbia. Beginning in May 2018, four categories of registered nurses in BC will merge under one professional association, and the Association of Registered Nurses of British Columbia, a CNA member, will cease to exist. The new association in BC will include nursing categories not currently included in CNA membership. The CNA is also considering the expanded membership in order to bring unity and collaboration within the nursing profession, representing all nursing groups and promoting intra-professional collaboration. A two-thirds majority of voting delegates is required to pass the bylaw change at the June 18 annual meeting.

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Michigan considers joining Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Two bills under consideration in Michigan would allow the state to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, allowing Michigan physicians to obtain a license to practice in other compact states through a streamlined process. The bill is supported by the Michigan Health and Hospital Association and several health systems as a way to address a physician shortage, especially in rural areas. The bills are facing opposition, however, from the Michigan State Medical Society because of language that defines a physician as holding specialty certification recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the American Osteopathic Association's Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists, which is not currently a requirement for licensure in Michigan.

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Nebraska: all prescription drugs to be entered into monitoring system

Pharmacists and prescribers in Nebraska are now required to enter all prescriptions into the Prescription Drug Monitoring Program database, not just controlled or commonly abused substances. Nebraska is the first US state to require daily logging of all prescription drugs, allowing doctors and pharmacists to get complete medication histories for patients. Although entering prescriptions will be required, there is no requirement that doctors and pharmacists consult the system before writing or dispensing prescriptions. Only 23.7% of prescribers and dispensers were registered to use the system as of December 2017. The addition of all prescriptions is adding almost 110,000 records a day to the database, 10 and 1/2 times what was being entered before the change.

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