Published: September 29, 2015

Gearing up for 2016 legislative sessions

During the 2015 state sessions, legislators across the nation introduced a wide variety of bills that would inappropriately expand the scope of practice for certain nonphysician healthcare providers.


The AAO-HNS is looking for volunteer State Trackers in Iowa (Iowa Capitol pictured) and eight other states.The AAO-HNS is looking for volunteer State Trackers in Iowa (Iowa Capitol pictured) and eight other states.

During the 2015 state sessions, legislators across the nation introduced a wide variety of bills that would inappropriately expand the scope of practice for certain nonphysician healthcare providers. In many states, there were new and continued efforts to expand the scope of practice of audiologists, speech-language pathologists, dentists, chiropractors, nurses, and hearing aid dispensers. In most instances, these scope expansion proposals failed to come to a vote due to the powerful advocacy efforts of the AAO-HNS and its Members.

A key component to successfully combating scope-of-practice proposals is “boots on the ground.”  Although the AAO-HNS has been fortunate to have more than 100 active volunteer State Trackers, not all states are currently being monitored for scope expansion efforts. The Academy still needs State Trackers in Alaska, Idaho, Iowa, Mississippi, Nevada, Oregon, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. This fall, the AAO-HNS and its legislative advocacy staff are recruiting volunteers to fill these vacancies in preparation for the 2016 state legislative sessions.

Join the growing number of physician advocates helping to monitor and defeat misguided proposals that threaten patient safety. Learn more about the rewarding State Trackers program by visiting www.entnet.org or contact govtaffairs@entnet.org.

 

 


More from October 2015 - Vol. 34, No. 09