By Jason deBruyn

Nurses will get another crack at gaining more autonomy this summer.

A bill filed shortly before the Senate deadline would lift certain restrictions on Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), something that would more closely align North Carolina with most other states. North Carolina law requires physicians' supervision for procedures that in other states may be done by nurses or other mid-level providers alone. Nurses in North Carolina argue this drives up cost because physicians nearly always charge more for a procedure than a nurse would. Doctors argue that existing regulations are best for patient safety.

A recent study has demonstrated that North Carolina could reduce health care spending by $430 million per year and add 3,800 jobs to the economy by the end of the decade simply by expanding the practice abilities of APRNs. The research was done by Christopher J. Conover, a research scholar.

“Advanced Practice Registered Nurses give North Carolina the best chance to expand access to safe, quality health care right now while saving hundreds of millions of dollars in unnecessary costs,” says health CEO Tina Gordon. “It is long past time for North Carolina to modernize its outdated APRN regulations and we are thrilled that Senators Hise and Pate have recognized this opportunity to help patients, taxpayers, and the entire health care system.”

The bill, SB 695 – An act updating and modernizing the Nursing Practice Act, is sponsored by Sen. Ralph Hise, R-Mitchell, and Sen. Louis Pate, R-Wayne.