LEGISLATIVE
IAPA Legislative Agenda 2009:

The IAPA Legislative work is in progress.  We have had success from the new lobbying team.  We have had success moving three legislative bills.  And now we have to have YOUR participation in order to continue our success.
Please read below and CONTACT YOUR STATEWIDE LEGISLATOR TODAY!!!
 
IN THE ILLINOIS HOUSE.......
HB 2247, gaining Schedule II prescriptive privileges for oral dosages, sponsored by Rep. Angelo Saviano, has passed to the House floor and now moves in to the Senate starting the week of April 21st.  See the  Legislative Brief. for more information on this bill that will be sponsored by Senator Maggie Crotty. 

IN THE ILLINOIS SENATE....
SB 1487, adding emergency disaster language, sponsored by Sen. Deanna Demuzio, has passed out of the Senate and over to the House.  Representative Beth Coulson will be sponsoring the bill.  It is scheduled for a hearing in the House Health Care Licenses Committee on Wednesday, April 22 at 9:30 a.m.   See the Legislative Brief for more information.
 
SB 1486, redefining the PA Advisory Committee, sponsored by Sen. Deanna Demuzio, and has passed out of Senate and over to the House.  Representative Beth Coulson will hopefully be the sponsor of this bill and have it posted in the House Health Care Licenses Committee.  See the Legislative Brief for more information.
 

HB 2464: (Click here for full text.) REMOVE SUPERVISION RATIO - Sponsored by Rep. Beth Coulson
Synopsis As Introduced.  Click here for IAPA Legislative Brief on HB 2464.
Amends the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987. Removes the limitation that physicians may not supervise more than 2 physician assistants. Provides that the supervising physician must file a notice of supervision with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation for each physician assistant under his or her supervision. Provides that the physician's supervision shall be continuous, but does not necessarily require the physical presence of the supervising physician at the time and place that the services are rendered by the physician assistant. Provides that it is the obligation of the supervising physician to ensure that the physician assistant's scope of practice is identified; that the medical tasks delegated to the physician assistant are appropriate to the physician assistant's level of competence; that the working relationship between the supervising physician and physician assistant is defined, including the means and frequency of access to the supervising physician; and that a process for evaluation of the physician assistant's performance is established. Amends the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Removes the limitation that physicians may not enter into supervising physician agreements with more than 2 physician assistants.

The bill has been assigned to the House Health Care Licenses Committee (see list for contact information).  If you live in the districts of these Illinois Representatives, please call them and ask for their support.  Legislators are usually at the Capitol in Springfield on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.  They are in the District office on Mondays and Fridays.

4/23/2009
HB 2247 granting Schedule II Controlled Substances privileges, click here for Legislative Brief, as assigned to the Senate Consumer Protection Committee.  If you live or work within any of these Senator's districts, please call them and ask them to support HB 2247.  It is most likely, the bill will be posted at the committee's April 30 hearing. 

SB 1487 adding Emergency Disaster language to the PA Practice Act, passed out of the  House Health Care Licenses Committee on Wedensday, April 22, 2009 at 9:30 a.m.   Click here to see the IAPA Legislative Brief on this bill.


4/1/2009
The Illinois House passed HB 2247, that adds Schedule II privileges for PAs, at 1:45 p.m. this afternoon.
HB 2247 now crosses over to the Illinois Senate. 
SB 1487, that adds Emergency Disaster Language to the PA Practice Act, passed the House on March 27, and is now in the House, and was picked up by Rep. Coulson.  Rep. Coulson may pick up SB 1486, that redefines the PA Advisory Committee, when it comes over as well. 

3/26/2009
At 1:20 p.m.today, Senate Bill 1487 was brought up on Third Reading on the Illinois Senate floor.
<>It passed, 57 - 0.
Now it will cross chambers and go to the House.

3/13/2009
Three bills that carry proposed legislation to expand PA practice privileges have moved through the Illinois House and Senate Committees.  Click here to see the bills and find out what you can do to assist the legislative efforts.

Pictures of the Fall CME, October 1-3, 2008

Kathy Dodd at MXCKathy Dodd, PA-C. President of the IAPA, stands outside of the Malcolm X PA Program after speaking to a number of PA Students about what the Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants does to promote and progress the PA profession in Illinois.









IAPA Lunch
AAPA Director at Large, Patti Pagels, PA-C, Fort Worth, TX, speaks at the Fall Conference Membership Meeting.  The AAPA supports all state affiliates and their activities.










Shere Turner Honored

Sherie Turner, PA-C, from Havana, IL, is recognized for her contributions serving as President of the IAPA in 2007.  Under her leadership, the PA Practice Act was renewed for another ten years.








Tom NolanTom Nolan, Thomas Nolan & Associates, greets the PAs, as the new lobbyist for the Illinois Academy of Physician Assistants.  Tom will be working the State Capitol to assist in the proposing, pressing, and passing a few bills on behalf of the IAPA.  These bills will all assist in the expansion of PA practice privileges. 


IAPA needs financial support to accomplish these legislative goals. IAPA needs your membership.  JOIN NOW if you are not a member.  It is your professional duty as a PA in the State of Illinois to support the only organization responsible for updating and changing the PA laws for the profession.  Illinois is falling behind in it's laws.  IAPA needs your dollars NOW to accomplish the upcoming tasks at hand.  Join NOW!






May 2008 - Kathy Dodd PA-C
IAPA has received news from the AAPA that a grant, in the amount of $24,000, will be awarded to the IAPA for Legislative efforts, specifically, to hire a lobbying firm very soon.  It takes months to organized and educate various parties and discuss language with various organizations.  The key is to have no opposition once the new General Assembly begins in January 2009.  The work to be done boggles my mind.  Here is what IAPA wishes to accomplish:

1) Add emergency disaster language to the PA Practice Act allowing PAs to assist in an emergency disaster under the supervision of the emergency management agency.
2) Gain prescriptive privileges for Schedule II Controlled Substances.  Illinois is 1 of 5 states that do not have these privileges.  The APNs gained them in 2007
3) Define language for the PA Advisory Council
4) Remove the supervising physician ratio
5) Write rules in radiology and nuclear safety granting privileges to PAs
6) Rewrite many current rules and bring them up to date.
7) Amend the Medical Corporations Act

They are not in any priority order.  This is what IAPA would like to change. 
Stay tuned.
Kathy Dodd  PA-C


LINKS

We would encourage you to contact a member of the committee that will be discussing these bills. The two committees that will be reviewing the bill are the House Registration and Regulation Committee and the Senate Licensed Activites Committee.