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THE BEST RESOURCE FOR NURSE PRACTITIONERS LIKE YOU.
February 2021 Newsletter
Thank you!
Thank you for all your hardwork and professionalism in serving on the front lines of Covid-19. We appreciate you!
NP RESOURCES
Visit our regional NP groups.
NPAA Store Open for Business!
Visit the NPAA Store! The store is featuring NPAA items like:
  • t-shirts,
  • portfolios,
  • tumblers,
  • bags,
  • phone wallets and
  • lapel pins.
Membership Corner:
As a member of NPAA, you will have access to CEUs, networking, educational content, and advocacy opportunities.  Enjoy the flexibility of an annual membership or save time and money over the long term with life membership. And for a limited time, there is a 50% discount on membership renewals.  To join or renew your NPAA membership, click here https://www.npalliancealabama.org/Membership
MESSAGE FROM NPAA PRESIDENT, D'Ann Somerall
Dear Members,

The BME proposed Rule Change will come before the Joint Committee for a final vote on 2.16.2021 at 6:00 PM. We are hoping that we will be able to conference call the meeting. As soon as we know for sure we will post an announcement.

Dr. Lisa Pair, VP Policy and Dr. Eileen Meyer, Senior Policy Advisor are monitoring the 2021 Legislative Session for bills that will impact NP ability to practice. We are following HB 176 and SB 64. The bill is to create a Radiology Board. The language in the bill does not include NPs. We have contacted the sponsors to request the addition of NPs. We will continue to update.

The call for NPAA officer elections will take place in September. The office positions for election in 2021 include President-elect, VP membership, Member at large, and two student members (MSN, DNP, PhD). President-elect, VP Membership, and MAL serve two-year terms. The student members are one-year terms. If you are interested in serving in the announced positions please contact me or Denise Williams, Administrative Director for more information.

I am sure that you have seen the results of the recent ASNA survey of the findings of the COVID-19 survey. I also know that WE were not surprised by the results: burnout, lack of pay for being in a dangerous situation daily, on and on. I personally know that the clinic director told me one day, "All this COVID stuff is so stressful." I was not having my best day and my response was, "Until you walk into the exam room where you have NO idea what you are walking into don't talk about stress." I thank you for caring for our patients daily and, in some cases, without regard for YOUR safety! I think during this time that Alabama NPs continue to highlight the excellent care we provide to our patients!

Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. We are moving forward with plans to seek FPA in the near future. We have to be allowed to practice to the full extent of our educational training!

Sincerely,

D'Ann

Congratulations to 2021 AANP'S Alabama NPs Awards of Excellence
Dr. Aimee Holland is an Associate Professor and the Assistant Dean for Graduate Clinical Education at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Her faculty practice providing gynecology services at the UAB Student Health and Wellness Clinic is the primary platform for her scholarly work that focuses on office gynecology procedures, contraception, vaginal infections, and gynecologic cancer prevention
Dr. Eileen Meyer is an Assistant Director of Advanced Practice Providers at UAB Hospital, where she has created the ACE (Augmented Clinical Experience) program to help advance clinical experiences for nurse practitioner students. She completed her Master of Science in Nursing in Acute Care Nursing in 1997 and her Doctor of Nursing Practice in 2017. She also works to advance nursing education and advocate for advanced practice nursing in Montgomery.
Prescriptive Authority Requirements
Board of Nursing rule 540-X-8-.11 requires that nurse practitioners include their license number AND their prescriptive authority number on every prescription they write. This is not a new requirement but PBMs have begun to audit pharmacy claims and have processed recoupments if both numbers are not on the prescription. This might mean contacting your EMR provider to ensure you are compliant. The pharmacist can deny processing your Rx's. Please know this is THEIR Board doing this...not the pharmacist, but the pharmacist is the one being subjected to a penalty.
Questions:
Where is my Rx Number? Go to BON webpage -> My profile -> Advanced Practice: Rx Number at top of the document
My EMR will not allow me to add Rx Number. Workaround is to write the number in the Notes to Pharmacy line.
What's next? The Alabama Board of Nursing is working to amend the ruling that states that the Rx number must be included. As soon as it is final we will post an announcement.
New Protocol for CRNPs in Dermatology
Great news in regards to Botox! The ABN/BME has approved a protocol for CRNPs in a Dermatology practice to administer Botox for hyperhidrosis. As many of you know, for the past 15 years, the BME has teamed the administration of Botox to be limited to the practice of medicine so this is a big step forwards for advanced practice providers. The hyperhidrosis protocol is now available on the BME website.

A big thank you to all who tuned in to the January Joint Committee meeting that was live streamed on facebook. The show of support was amazing and proves there is strength in numbers. On 2/16, the Joint Committee will reconvene for a special session to finish the rule change and odds are favorable that we soon shall see a new FTE ratio of 9:1.
NPAA Job Opportunities Board
The Job Opportunities Board on the NPAA website allows members to post job opportunities for NPs. Check it out to see a new job opportunity in the Mobile area!

Only NPAA members are allowed to post and view opportunities so be sure to join NPAA!
Get involved with NPAA
The following NPAA offices will be up for election this fall. Nominations will start in May. Each office is held for 2 years except for the Student-At-Large position. Please contact Denise Williams, NPAA Administrative Director, admin@npalliancealabama.org.

  • President-elect: shall serve for one (1) two (2) year term. Shall remain informed of all issues, statutes, and concerns facing NPs in Alabama. The President-elect, in absence of the President, shall serve as spokesperson for NPs, call meetings, set the calendar and agenda for the meetings, and chair meetings. The President-elect shall be a co-signer of all bank accounts, chair the Bylaws committee, and take on special tasks as designated by the President.

  • VP for Membership: Shall support efforts related to membership recruitment and retention. The VP of Membership chairs the Membership Committee and may take on special tasks as designated by the President.

  • Secretary: Shall keep minutes and records, including meeting attendance, committee and officer reports, and roll of members. The Secretary shall conduct official correspondence, serve as the coordinator of calendars (in coordination with the President), and publish notice of meetings.

  • Member-at-Large: Shall be elected from the membership. The Member-at-Large is a member of the Executive Committee, attends all meetings of the Steering Committee, and may take on special tasks as designated by the President.

  • Two (2) Student Members-at-Large shall serve on the Steering Committee for a one (1) year term. Student Members-at-Large will be elected annually.
Check out NPAA's New Website
NPAA's website has a new look! We are asking all of our existing members to log-in and create their new password and update their profiles. Be sure to check out the new member-only pages! We also have a new preceptor and provider database. You can list your participation in these databases through your member profile.

If you would like to join NPAA, please use our streamlined membership form. It is fast and easy!

For Current NPAA Members, Steps to create a new password and update your profile:

  1. Go to www.npalliancealabama.org
  2. In the upper right-hand corner click View Profile
  3. Enter your email address and click Forgot Password. This will allow you to create a new password.
  4. Log in with your new password and update your profile!

If you have any questions, please contact Denise Williams, admin@npalliacealabama.org