Call to Action: Contact your legislator and the B&L Committee Members

Dear NP Colleagues,

House Bill (HB) 287 is now in the House Business & Labor Committee (B&L) waiting for our legislative hearing as early as Thursday. UNP needs your help to contact the Representatives in the House within the next 4 days that have not yet committed to a yes vote . We have 3 sample letters below for you to easily send out via email (legislator contact information is here: Find Your Legislator) or you can write your own. Make sure you include  the bill # and title in your subject and then introduce yourself as their constituent with your story. Please follow up with them in a few days if they do not respond (a text is a good option).

You may want to briefly let them know this is different than the PA Bill (some reps are confused about this).

• Focus on the impact to patients
• Stay positive; don't disparage other health care providers or legislators
• Give concrete examples of how this issue impacts patient care, your options to refer to pain care providers in your area, or your employment (especially new graduates or when you first entered practice. For more information and discussion, go to unp.org/Legislation tab on the left side of the webpage)
• Personalize your letter (Note - use these buzzwords; Republicans - modernization of healthcare and timely access, patient choice, affordability; Democrats - deregulation for equal business opportunity and patient's right to essential healthcare)

When you do recieve a reply from your legislators, please contact us to let us know if they are a yes, no, and if they would co-sponsor the bill so that we can update our list. Even if your legislator is not on this list, please communicate with your representative or a B&L committee member to tell them your story and how the Consultation & Referral Plan has affected your practice or ability to treat your patients. Thank you ahead of time for taking action!

Melissa Hinton, President

Julie Balk, Legislative Co-Chair

Lee Moss, Legislative Co-Chair

Beth Luthy, Immediate Past Legislative Co-Chair

_________________________________________________________________

List of House Representatives that need to be contacted (Bold=committee members who will be hearing our presentation of the bill):

Cheryl Acton - Salt Lake

Joel Briscoe - Salt Lake

Jefferson Burton - Utah

Steve Christiansen - Salt Lake

Clare Collard - Salt Lake

Joel Ferry (Chair, B&L Committee) - Bpx Elder, Cache

Matthew Gwynn - Box Elder, Weber

Steven Handy - Davis

Timothy Hawkes (B&L Committee) - Davis

Dan Johnson - Cache

Brian King (B&L Committee) - Salt Lake, Summit

Mike Kohler - Summit, Wasatch

Karen Kwan - Salt Lake

Bradley Last - Iron, Washington

Kelly Miles - Davis, Weber, 

Jefferson Moss - Utah

Calving Musselman (B&L Committee) - Weber

Abbot Nelson - Utah

Doug Owens - Salt Lake

Stephanie Pitcher - Salt Lake

Susan Pulsipher - Salt Lake

Paul Ray - Davis

Douglas Sagers - Tooele

Casey Snider (B&L Committee) - Cache

Jeffrey Stenquist - Salt Lake

Steve Waldrip - Weber

Elizabeth Weight - Salt Lake

Mark Wheatley (B&L Committee) - Salt Lake

Ryan Wilcox - Weber

Brad Wilson - Davis

___________________________________________________________________________________________

Bold Italics indicate a personalized statement

 Sample Letter 1

Dear Representative ____________

As a constituent and a practicing/future Nurse Practitioner (NP) in your district, I am writing to ask for your support and to urge your colleagues in the Business & Labor Committee to support HB 287 - Nurse Practice Act Amendments as introduced. (Tell your experience with the C&R and how it affects your practice and/or patients).

Utah finally has the opportunity to address long-standing challenges related to healthcare access and unnecessary regulation of graduate degree nurse practitioners (5-8 years of clinical education). Under existing Utah law, it is illegal for a nurse practitioner to own or operate a pain clinic without a career-long Consultation and Referral plan (C&R) with a physician to prescribe schedule II substances who never sees the patient and must only be available to answer questions about opiates if I have any. These restrictions were the result of prior legislative compromises and not based on evidence or need. It also restricts new practitioners with less than 1 year/2,000 hours of experience to have a C&R which prevents them from opening a clinic that could be taking care of patients. As introduced, HB 287 would retire this traditional restriction. If enacted, HB 287 would help to provide added patient care options and timely access to healthcare.

Thank you for your time, service, and support of HB 287. Please consider co-sponsoring Hb 287.

Sincerely, (your name, address and phone number)

_______________________________________________________________________

 Sample Letter 2

Dear Representative _________

I am your constituent and a nurse practitioner (NP). I am writing to ask for your support of nurse practitioners in HB 287 - Nurse Practice Act Amendments (Business & Labor Committee, sponsored by Representative Doug Welton) to provide more services and reduce practice restrictions for NPs. (Tell your experience with the C&R and how it affects your practice and/or patients).

NPs have 5-8 years of clinical education with the same licensing and controlled substance requirements as physicians. Yet NPs are currently restricted in practice as new graduates and for pain clinics which require a Consultation and Referral plan (C&R). This antiquated paper designates another provider who will be available to answer questions about schedule II substances. It does not provide any practice oversight, guidance, review, or any other physician-led action.

DOPL and the controlled substance database (which NPs were the first to write into our Nurse Practice Act) monitors and disciplines our prescribing. 50 years of data show that NPs have high patient satisfaction and outcomes similar to physicians. DOPL shows that NPs are safe prescribers. Removing the C&R will improve access to care, patient choice, and cost-efficacy and bring Utah in line with the 14 surrounding states who have no practice restrictions.

I appreciate your work with the legislature and ask that you support HB 287. Please consider co-sponsoring our bill for a healthier Utah.

Sincerely, (your name, address and phone number)

_______________________________________________________________________

 Sample Letter 3

 Dear Representative _________

Thank you for your legislative work! I am your constituent and a nurse practitioner. This letter is written to express support for HB 287 - Nurse Practice Act Amendments sponsored by Doug Welton. This bill will reduce business barriers by removing the Consultation and Referral (C&R) plan which is currently required in certain situations. The C&R is a document that undermines both the authority and value of nurse practitioners. (Tell your experience with the C&R and how it affects your practice and/or patients).

Modernizing the Nurse Practice Act will align Utah with her 14 surrounding states. Studies show that NPs offer competent and safe care associated with high patient satisfaction rates, lower ER and re-admissions to hospitals, and better overall healthcare outcomes.

Removing the C&R requirement which currently restricts new graduates from establishing an independent practice or NPs from owning pain clinics in Utah will:

1. Allow patients to choose a trusted healthcare provider
2. Improve patient healthcare access and Improve overall health outcomes,
3. Provide continuity and evidenced-based care with outcomes similar to physicians
4. Afford early assessment and treatment for patients with high-risk health and mental health needs
5. Encourage healthcare provider recruitment and retention in Utah
6. and bridge gaps in healthcare which contribute to high risk complications.

 The CARES Act and national healthcare organizations have encouraged removal of practice barriers for NPs for more than a decade. Utah is ready for positive change that offers progressive healthcare services, particularly in more rural areas where disparity is greatest. This legislation would decrease health care costs for the individual consumer, improve how care is provided to patients in all settings and specialties, and can offer services to those who previously had limited access.

I urge you to consider the education, experience, and preparation of nurse practitioners as a solution to many of the issues that burden healthcare systems. I invite you to support HB 287 and consider co-sponsoring the bill.

Sincerely, (your name, address and phone number)