Christine Heubusch

  • 2019 Legislation Update – Crossover Successes

    The positive progress continues!   We are pleased to inform you that our reimbursement bills – House Bill 1640 and Senate Bill 1178 – have once again been warmly received by committees in both chambers of the Virginia Legislature!   In light of the February 5th “crossover,” all bills passed on the House side during…

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  • HB 1640 & SB 1178 Passed by Commerce & Labor Committees

    On January 31st, our reimbursement bills – HB 1640 and SB 1178 – were heard in the Virginia House and Senate Commerce & Labor Committees.   SB 1178, sponsored by Sen. Glen Sturtevant, faced no opposition and was passed unanimously by the Senate Commerce & Labor Committee by a vote of 15-0. Similarly, during the…

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  • Autonomous Practice Licensure Update

    As of January 7th, HB 793 regulations are in effect! Nurse practitioners with five or more years (that is, 9,000 hours or more) of clinical experience are now able to submit their applications for autonomous practice. You may find the attestation form and instructions for applying on the Virginia Board of Nursing website.   We…

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  • Governor Northam Signs HB 793 Emergency Regulations

    Governor Ralph Northam has officially signed the emergency regulations for HB 793! The regulations will go into effect on Monday, January 7, 2019. Per the Board of Nursing’s update, “[t]he application process will be implemented on or before 1/9/19,” at which point NPs throughout the Commonwealth will be able to apply for autonomous practice licensure.…

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  • Updates from the Oct. 18th Board of Medicine Meeting

    On Thursday, October 18, the Board of Medicine approved the proposed draft regulations that would replace emergency regulations for the prescribing of opioids and buprenorphine by NPs.   These regulations are favorable, as they permit SAMHSA-waivered NPs to prescribe buprenorphine outside of a practice agreement, so long as these NPs are autonomous – that is,…

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  • September 18th Board of Nursing Meeting in Review

    Amended HB 793 Draft Regulations Passed Unanimously   At its September 18th meeting, the Board of Nursing voted 12-0 to adopt the HB 793 draft emergency regulations, as amended by the Board of Medicine at its August 3rd meeting. The Board of Nursing did not make any additional changes to the regulations. To view a…

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  • August 3rd Board of Medicine Meeting Recap

    Last Friday, August 3, the Virginia Board of Medicine convened and discussed the draft regulations for the Nurse Practitioner autonomous practice legislation, HB 793. The Committee of the Joint Boards and the Board of Nursing had both passed draft regulations that defined “five years of full-time experience” as 8,000 hours (an average of 1,600 hours/year)…

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  • July 17 Board of Nursing Meeting Recap

    At yesterday morning’s Board of Nursing meeting in Henrico, the Board of Nursing voted unanimously to pass the draft regulations for HB 793, as established at the May 17th meeting of the Joint Boards and advisory committee!   During the meeting, Senior Policy Analyst Elaine Yeatts provided a summary of the public commentary period, which…

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  • Review of the May 17th Committee of the Joint Boards Meeting

    Last Thursday, May 17, the Committee of the Joint Boards of Nursing and Medicine convened to discuss draft regulations for HB 793. At the beginning of the meeting, representatives from VCNP and organized medicine testified, with each side given just fifteen minutes to make its case. VCNP’s strong presence included attendance and testimonies from VCNP…

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