Urgent Action Required

To All Members of MCNP:

As you all know, we have been working for the past 4 years to introduce legislation to eliminate the collaborative agreement in Maryland.  The past 3 legislative years were used to clean up some details that would hamper our practice if they weren't fixed prior to ending the collaborative agreement.  

 

I have been working diligently for the past 4 years with my counterpart at NPAM to garner support for this bill.

Yesterday, we presented our bill to the Southern Maryland Delegation and all of them signed onto the bill as sponsors or cosponsors. The Delegation from Eastern Shore did the same later in the day.  The entire Women's Legislative Caucus has endorsed the bill as one of their top 4 priorities for this session.

 

We have the endorsement of the Board of Nursing, MNA, The United Democratic Women's Club of MD, CareFirst Blue Cross, Maryland Hospital Association, Health Facilities Association, the psychologists, The Rural health Council, the Rural Health Association, NAMI and countless others.  The Governor, in a speech on Tuesday, said he endorses this legislation and will sign the bill when it is passed. The board of Physicians and DHMH are on the fence with regard to support.  

 

You may ask why?  Well, in spite of all this support, and defying sheer logic, MedChi has taken a hard line stand opposing this bill.  We expected this, but the chairman of the House committee who decides which bills we be heard, Pete Hammen, said he won't consider the bill unless MedChi comes to the table and doesn't oppose it.

 

We have met with MedChi's leaders a number of times, and they will not budge on this issue, citing patient safety as their big concern, and they feel like they are protecting the public with their oversight of NP's.  They are actually pushing for supervisory, rather than collaborative practice.  They did however, compromise with regard to  the nurse midwives, and cooperated in rewriting the regulations ending the need for a signed collaborative agreement for them.  This recently was signed off by all parties at the state and will be in the new Nurse Practice Act.

 

This is a call to action.  We need each and everyone of you to obtain signatures form NP friendly doctors on the attached letter and get these letters back to me by January 27, 2010.  I have also enclosed a Fact Sheet with some talking points if you need them.  We have promised the legislators 3000 signatures from across the state so this bill can move forward in spite of MedChi's efforts to stop it.  We especially need the signatures of Orthopedic docs, anesthesia and ER docs.  Having Con Med's support would be great!

 

Don't take a complacent attitude thinking someone else will do this!  That someone else is YOU!  

 

If you have any questions or concerns, or need to discuss this, please call my cell phone at 301-980-8004.  My e-mail is LDianaArt@aol.com.

 

Please hurry and get this done.  Your future practice depends upon it!

 

Thank you.

 

Lorraine Diana, CRNP

Legislative Chair, MCNP

 

P.S. If you can't get the letters to me, someone from our Board will pick them up.  Just call and let us know.