Matter Number
V150002
Summary
FTC staff submitted a comment, in response to a request from Missouri State Representative Jeanne Kirkton, regarding legislation that would amend Missouri’s Nurse Practice Act to remove some, and impose other, constraints on collaborative practice arrangements between physicians and APRNs. As stated in the comment, FTC staff encourages the legislature to “scrutinize claimed health and safety justifications for its current supervision and collaboration requirements, review carefully whether any claims of potential patient harm are adequately substantiated and well founded, and evaluate whether the collaboration requirements are warranted. . . . If APRNs and other health care professionals are permitted to practice to the extent of their education, training, and abilities, the state could benefit from enhanced competition, including potentially lower costs and greater patient access to care.”