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 A bill signed into law by Gov. Bruce
Rauner on Sept. 20 removes a professional barrier for certain nurses, which
could make health care more affordable and improve Illinoisans’ access to
medical services, especially in underserved areas.
House Bill 313, now Public Act 100-0513, amends the Nurse Practice Act to allow
advanced practice registered nurses, or APRNs, to practice without entering into
a written collaborative agreement with a doctor, provided they first meet
certain education and training standards.
 APRNs are licensed, registered nurses with higher levels of education and
training, such as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives and clinical nurse
specialists. Under the new law, APRNs who attain national certification in their
fields and at least 4,000 hours of clinical experience in collaboration with a
physician, and complete at least 250 hours of continuing education, will have
the authority to practice nursing without entering into a collaborative
agreement with a doctor. These APRNs will be able to diagnose patients, order
diagnostic tests, treat illness, provide patient counseling and education, and
prescribe medication.
In an effort to help stem the opioid epidemic, the law restricts APRNs in
prescribing certain narcotics, including opioids; it requires that this be done
in consultation with a physician and recorded under Illinois’ Prescription
Monitoring Program.
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The act clarifies that
it does not allow APRNs to engage in practices that Illinois law
reserves for physicians, such as operative surgery.
The bill faced no objections in either chamber of the General
Assembly: An amended version passed 55-0 in the Illinois Senate in
May, and a concurrence measure passed the Illinois House of
Representatives 99-0 in June.
Rauner said that through the bill, “We’re knocking down barriers and
restrictions on [the] ability of our nurses to provide high quality
care that they are well trained for and well equipped to provide.”
In the video of the bill-signing the Round Lake Area News posted,
the governor notes, “This can enhance the availability of services
and it can help keep health care more affordable while also
increasing the quality of health care.”
Ricki Loar, president of the Illinois Society for Advanced Practice
Nursing, emphasized the law’s importance in improving Illinoisans’
access to medical care, “especially in rural areas where there may
not be physicians within a couple hundred miles,” according to NPR
Illinois.
This new law is a win for Illinoisans and for hardworking, dedicated
nurses, who will be able to use their education and training more
fully to deliver high-quality, affordable care.
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