BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	H.B. 278
86R152 BEE-D	By: Oliverson et al. (Perry)
	Health & Human Services
	4/18/2019
	Engrossed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

The companion bill S.B. 311, was heard on March 12 and was left pending.

Interested parties contend that the current meeting structure provided for physicians and their delegated health practitioners is convoluted and does not correlate with better health outcomes. This bill seeks to address this issue by revising applicable statutes regarding the frequency and location of certain meetings required by a prescriptive authority agreement.

This bill amends the Occupations Code to remove the specification that periodic meetings between an advanced practice registered nurse and a physician as described in a prescriptive authority quality assurance and improvement plan as part of a prescriptive authority agreement between the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse, as applicable, be face-to-face meetings that take place at a location determined by the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse and to remove requirements regarding the frequency with which the meetings must occur. The bill instead requires such meetings to take place at least once a month in a manner determined by the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse.

H.B. 278 amends current law relating to the frequency and location of certain meetings required by a prescriptive authority agreement.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.

SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS

SECTION 1. Amends Sections 157.0512(e) and (f), Occupations Code, as follows:

(e) Requires a prescriptive authority agreement, at a minimum, to:

(1)�(8) makes no changes to these subdivisions; and

(9) describe a prescriptive authority quality assurance and improvement plan and specify methods for documenting the implementation of the plan that include the following:

(A) makes a nonsubstantive change to this subdivision; and

(B) periodic meetings between the advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant and the physician, rather than if the agreement is between a physician and an advanced practice registered nurse, periodic face-to-face meetings between the advanced practice registered nurse and the physician at a location determined by the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse.

Deletes existing Paragraph (C) relating to periodic meetings between the physician assistant and the physician.

(f) Requires the periodic meetings, rather than the periodic face-to-face meetings, described by Subsection (e)(9)(B) to:

(1) include:

(A) makes no changes to this paragraph; and

(B) makes a nonsubstantive change to this paragraph;

(2) creates Subdivision (3) from existing text and makes a nonsubstantive change to this subdivision; and

(3) take place at least once a month in a manner determined by the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse of physician assistant. Deletes existing Paragraphs (A) and (B) relating to specifications for the frequency of meetings.

SECTION 2. Repealer: Section 157.0512(f-1) (relating to requiring the specific periodic meetings to include certain information, be documented, and take place once a month in a certain manner), Occupations Code.

SECTION 3. Makes application of Section 157.0512, Occupations Code, as amended by this Act, prospective.

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2019.