The 81st Session of the Nevada Legislature continues to creep along at a snail's pace. Due to COVID restrictions, the Capitol Building remains closed to all but legislators, staff, and a small group of journalists. Many committee meetings have been cancelled and the number of bill introductions lags significantly behind historical norms. The hearings that are conducted are available for viewing on the legislative website and the general public can register for the opportunity to make comments by phone. Testimony from witnesses is provided to the committee by Zoom. Current estimates place the building open to the public in early April after all legislators and staff complete COVID vaccination.
The lack of building access has not deterred the NOMA Board from remaining engaged on the critical issues that may have an impact on our profession and patients. To date, 1,137 bill draft requests (BDRs) were submitted by individual legislators, committees, and executive branch agencies. Of that number, we are currently tracking 94: 14 of which have actual bill text and are summarized below (bill numbers are hyperlinked so you can read them if you wish):
Removes restriction in NRS 629.450 preventing a provider of health care who is licensed or certified in this State or another state or territory of the United States to provide voluntary health care service in this State in association with a sponsoring organization if he or she has not continuously practiced for the immediately preceding 3 years.
Requires Chief Health Officer to issue a standing order that permits pharmacists to dispense “self-administered hormonal contraceptives” to a patient upon request.
1) Establishes, in order of priority, the persons who are authorized to consent or withhold consent to health care on behalf of a patient who is unconscious or otherwise lacks the capacity to provide or withhold such consent.
2) Prohibits a medical facility from refusing to allow such a person inside the facility solely because circumstances exist under which the public is prohibited from entering the facility.
Adds a requirement to the informed consent for an abortion that the provider give the pregnant woman a list of providers of health care, medical facilities and other persons and entities that perform ultrasonography free of charge, and if the woman undergoes ultrasonography before the abortion or the attending physician uses ultrasonography during the abortion, the woman must be orally informed that she may view or decline to view a sonogram of the fetus
1) Maintains requirement for parental notification for abortion in certain cases, but requires a 48 hour waiting period btw time of notification and performing abortion 2) Requires District Court to hear petitions within 3 judicial days and issue ruling within 1 day of hearing.
Includes in definition of telehealth the delivery of services through the use of a standard telephone and requires insurers to cover to the same extent, but not the same amount, for such services
1) Authorizes the Patient Protection Commission to request reports concerning certain issues relating to health care from a state or local governmental entity.
2) Requires the DHHS to establish an all-payer claims database of information relating to health insurance claims resulting from medical, dental or pharmacy benefits provided in this State, and further requires any public or private insurer that provides health benefits and is regulated under state law to submit data to the database.
Makes various changes to provisional licensing and licensing by endorsement for certain behavioral health professionals.
Similar to SB5 but limited to behavioral health: Includes in definition of telehealth the delivery of services through the use of a standard telephone and requires coverage of behavioral health services provided by telehealth in the same amount as if those services were provided in person or by other means
1) Changes definition of “chemical restraint”
2) Defines “Emergency Admission”, Involuntary Court-Ordered Admission”, Mental Health Crisis Hold”.
3) Revises provisions for court-ordered involuntary assistant outpatient treatment
Requires an entity responsible for regulating providers of health care that determines as a result of an investigation that there are no reasonable grounds to believe that the provider of health care has committed a violation to refer to the investigation as a “review and evaluation.” Also provides that an investigation recorded as a review and evaluation is not an investigation for purposes related to employment, professional licensure or credentialing, education or liability or health insurance.
Authorizes a physician to prescribe a controlled substance that is designed to end the life of a patient under certain circumstances; Prohibits anyone but patient from administering said substance
Excludes viruses, serums, toxins and analogous products for use in the treatment of domestic animals from regulation under Nevada law governing drugs and medicines.
NOTE: Existing federal law regulates viruses, serums, toxins and analogous products for use in the treatment of domestic animals. (21 U.S.C. § 154) and preempts any state law that regulates viruses, serums, toxins and analogous products for use in the treatment of domestic animals.
This bill changes the existing system for organ donor gifts, in which through the DMV a person must opt in to be a donor, to a system in which a person is a donor unless the person opts out of donation.
If you have an opinion on any of these issues, please let us know your position on this issue by sending an email here.
While we expect to see legislation to amend the malpractice reforms put into place by the 2004 ballot initiative, nothing has yet been introduced.
NOMA is the voice of Osteopathic Medicine in Nevada and we cannot be successful without your participation and support. If you are not yet a NOMA member, please consider joining today!
