Thread by @MarilynHeineMD

🧵Scope of practice victory in New York

As state legislative sessions come to a close, AMA Scope of Practice Partnership (SOPP) grantees are reporting positive results. NY is among them, seeing overwhelming success in the face of over a dozen scope of practice bills. 👏👏

2/ Since its inception in 2007, the SOPP has awarded over $3.5 million in grants to medical societies funding initiatives to:

• Fight inappropriate scope of practice expansions,
•Promote truth in advertising and
•Protect physician-led care.

#transparency #accountability

3/ The SOPP is a collaborative effort staffed by the AMA and comprised of the @AmerMedicalAssn, the @AOAforDOs, 18 national specialty societies, 50 state medical associations and 39 state osteopathic medical associations.

@AmerMedicalAssn @AOAforDOs 4/ This year, AMA boosted its commitment to SOPP, helping the partnership increase the number of grantees 2022.

@mssnytweet is among 14 state medical societies who received funding from SOPP to support state-level scope of practice advocacy during the 2023 legislative session.

@AmerMedicalAssn @AOAforDOs @mssnytweet 5/ @mssnytweet faced an uphill battle on the scope of practice front this year, as numerous scope expansions were included in the Executive budget and at least 15 nonphysician scope expansions were proposed in the legislature.

@AmerMedicalAssn @AOAforDOs @mssnytweet 6/ Among these proposed expansions was a bill that would have authorized physician assistants to practice independently.

Another bill would have permitted pharmacists to test for and treat potentially serious illnesses over the pharmacy counter.

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 7/ These scope of practice expansions put patients at risk—and were ultimately defeated by MSSNY.  

In addition to top-notch lobbying efforts, MSSNY’s scope of practice success is attributable to a statewide communications campaign, funded in part by the SOPP.

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 8/ Using SOPP funds, @mssnytweet created radio ads that played throughout NY:

•Alerting New Yorkers to scope of practice expansion proposals,

•Calling out differences in education and training between physicians and nonphysicians such as physician assistants and pharmacists.

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 9/ Listen to an ad here:

These radio advertisements were supplemented by promoted social media highlighting the negative impact to patients when physicians are removed from the health care team.tinyurl.com/2tmt26tu

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 10/ Other scope of practice wins in New York include:

•Defeat of a bill—which AMA opposed in a letter to the state legislature—that would have allowed psychologists to prescribe powerful psychotropic medications;…

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 11/ Other scope of practice wins in New York include:

•Defeat of multiple bills that would have expanded the scope of practice for certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs);

•Defeat of a bill that would have created a license for naturopaths; and others.

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 12/ In the face of all this, MSSNY was wildly successful in the 2023 legislative session, defeating all but one inappropriate scope expansion in New York this year.

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 13/ Single scope expansion that passed authorizes pharmacists to dispense contraceptives after a global order by a prescriber—after special training, notifying patient’s PCP that contraceptives were dispensed—one of US’s more controlled pharmacist contraceptive-dispensation laws.

@AmerMedicalAssn @mssnytweet 14/ MSSNY’s success serves as a compelling example to state medical societies and demonstrates the powerful impact of the SOPP.

#MedicalSchoolMatters #PhysicianLedCare #PatientSafety