BILL ANALYSIS

Senate Research Center	S.B. 311
86R152 BEE-D	By: Perry
	Health & Human Services
	3/8/2019
	As Filed

AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT

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.

As proposed, S.B. 311 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 to, at a minimum:

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

(9) describe a prescriptive authority quality assurance and improvement plan and specify methods for documenting the implementation of the plan that include the chart review, with the number of charts to be reviewed determined by the physician and the advance practice registered nurse of physician assistant and periodic meetings between the advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant and the physician. Deletes existing text that requires the prescriptive authority quality assurance and improvement plan's implementation to include, if the agreement is between a physician and an advanced practice registered nurse, face‑to-face meetings at a location determined by the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse. Deletes existing text that requires the prescriptive authority quality assurance and improvement plan's implementation to include, if the agreement is between a physician and a physician assistant, periodic meetings between the physician and physician assistant.

(f) Requires the periodic meetings, rather than the periodic face-to-face meetings, described by Subsection (e)(9)(b) to include the sharing of information relating to patient treatment and care, needed changes in patient care plans, and issues relating to referrals; to include discussions of patient care improvement; to be documented; and to take place at least once a month in a manner determined by the physician and the advanced practice registered nurse or physician assistant. Deletes existing text relating to the required times at which these meetings take place.

SECTION 2. Repealer: Section 157.0512(f-1) (relating to specifications for periodic meetings between the physician and physician assistant), Occupations Code.

SECTION 3. Makes application of this Act prospective.

SECTION 4. Effective date: September 1, 2019.