Texas State Capitol in Austin. Credit: Moab Republic/Adobe Stock
Texas could create a new class of advanced practice registered nurses.
A bill introduced by state Rep. Janice Shofner, R-Nacogdoches, Texas, could let nurses who qualify for that status act as independent primary health care practitioners.
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Advanced practice registered nurses would be able to diagnose health problems and prescribe prescription medicine, including laws officially classified as "dangerous drugs."
The nurses would be regulated by the Texas Board of Nursing.
Debate about the bill may reflect some nurses' desire for a wider "scope of practice" and some physicians' skepticism about the idea of nurses providing care without physician supervision.
Some physicians contend that many non-physician professionals, or "mid-level providers," lack the knowledge to provide primary care without physician supervision.
Advocates of expanding nurses' scope of practice contend that nurses are qualified to expand the supply of primary care.
The Texas legislature is considering a number of bills that reflect lawmakers' concerns about the government, health insurers or pharmacy benefit managers interfering with health care practitioners activities.
One bill could keep health insurers from making patients use insurer-owned PBMs, and another could keep PBMs from using contracts that refer to external documents.
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Allison Bell
Allison Bell, a senior reporter at ThinkAdvisor and BenefitsPRO, previously was an associate editor at National Underwriter Life & Health. She has a bachelor's degree in economics from Washington University in St. Louis and a master's degree in journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University. She can be reached through X at @Think_Allison.
