Governor Ivey eases health care regulatory red tape making it easier for health care providers to care for those affected by COVID-19 pandemic in Alabama
Prepared by M. Jansen Voss
4.3.20
On April 2, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey issued her fifth supplemental Proclamation. Recognizing the likely exponential increase in COVID-19 patients seeking treatment in medical facilities in the State of Alabama, the Governor relaxed a number of regulations restricting health care providers’ ability to provide care in Alabama. The specific regulations include:
- Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners, Certified Nurse-Midwives and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists who have active and unencumbered licenses in another state, the District of Columbia, a territory of the United States, or Canada, may practice in Alabama.
- Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists may provide medications for anesthesia services and other acute care services within the scope of their practice.
- The chief of medical staff or medical director of a licensed health care facility may serve as the collaborating physician for an unlimited number of CRNPs and CNMs, and provide direction to an unlimited number of CRNAs and supervise an unlimited number of physician assistants and anesthesia assistants.
- Physicians practicing outside of a licensed health care facility may enter into emergency collaboration agreements with CRNPs and CNMs, and registration agreements with anesthesia assistants and physician assistants not to exceed three hundred and sixty hours per week.
- CRNPs and CNMs practicing pursuant to a collaborative practice agreement or an emergency collaborative agreement may provide services via telehealth.
- The Board of Pharmacy, Board of Nursing, the Medical Licensure Commission, and the State Board of Medical Examiners are ordered to adopt regulations for expedited licensures for the practice of pharmacy, nursing, and medicine.
- The Alabama State Board of Medical Examiners and the Medical Licensure Commission are ordered to adopt emergency rules for reinstatement of medical licenses.
- The State Health Planning and Development Agency is ordered to provide waivers of Certificates of Need permitting new services, facilities, and resources for the treatment of patients affected by COVID-19.
- The Alabama Board of Pharmacy is ordered to adopt emergency rules to expedite pharmacy permits.
- The Proclamation states plainly that it is “cutting red tape for health care providers”. The Proclamation makes it easier to allocate health care labor resources and makes it easier for out-of-state or retired health care workers to provide care to those that need it our state.
The ultimate goal of this additional proclamation is to increase the supply of health care providers in order to meet the dramatic increase in demand for health care services due to COVID-19.
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