ACTION ALERTS
There are several important bills up for debate this session that could impact your practice and your patients. We are particularly concerned about monitoring bills that could hurt our members as the public does not have the same level of access to lawmakers this session due to the pandemic. Therefore it is more important than ever that we bring the voices of our family physicians to the table this year.
When we need family physicians to take action on bills such as emailing or calling their representatives or testifying in a committee, we will post action items here. Please contact Maryann Martindale with any questions.
Action Alert for 1/29/21
We need your help to fight two very concerning physician assistant independence bills. SB27 and SB28 seek to give physicians assistants, immediately following school, independent practice ability and direct billing from insurance.
We have been working hard already and the bills were pulled from last week’s committee agenda, but we anticipate these bills will be back as early as next week.
If your Senator is on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, we need you to contact them immediately, be sure to indicate you are a constituent. But even if your Senator does not sit on this committee, please consider contacting them and asking them to oppose these bills should they come for a vote.
Members of the Senate HHS Committee include:
Sen. Mike Kennedy (committee chair)
Please be respectful, we are not sure what their feelings are about the bill and it is important to stress the reasons we are opposed.
- Physicians Assistants are not trained to practice independently. Their training differs significantly from that of a physician. They are a valuable member of the clinic team.
- This bill would allow them to practice in areas where they are not fully trained without guidance from a trained physician.
- This will drive up the cost of medical care as physicians assistants are likely to request more tests and take greater time in diagnosis, than a physician who has far more extensive training and expertise. This will result in higher costs to patients and insurers.
- Family Physicians complete four years of medical school and three years of residence and have 15,000 hours of clinical experience. Allowing physicians assistants to practice independently with far less training and experience is a grave risk to patient safety.
You can find your Senator by entering your home address information HERE. Clicking on your Senator’s name will take you to a page with their contact information.
If you have any questions or have any problem finding your Senator, please email martindalemm@utahafp.org
If you would like to be involved, consider joining the UAFP Legislative Committee. It is a great way to learn more about the impact the legislature has on family medicine, and to get involved working for positive change. To join, email Maryann Martindale and let her know you are interested.
For a complete list of all bills during the 2020 legislative session, visit le.utah.gov.
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