A local lawmaker is making another attempt to expand the role of nurse practitioners in Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, Representative Jesse Topper (R-Bedford), re-introduced a bill that would eliminate the requirement that nurse practitioners get business contracts with doctors before treating patients on their own.
The aim of the bill is to make primary care more accessible to residents, particularly in rural areas.The Pa Rural Health Coalition, and the Hospital and Healthcare Association of Pennsylvania support the legislation, but the Pa Medical Society, which represents the states physicians, opposes it.
Last year, the state senate approved a bill to expand the role of nurse practitioners, but the issue never came to a vote in the house.
