Joint Commission on Health Care to consider scope expansions

25 September 2009

The Joint Commission on Health Care (JCHC) will be considering options to address the present and future needs of Virginia’s health care workforce that may result in scope of practice expansions for non-physician health care providers. Noting that health professions workforce planning should be forward looking, JCHC staff outlined 19 policy options to address shortages in the physician, dental and mental health care workforces.

While some of the options outlined would benefit physicians, like increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates and enhanced payments under the direct and indirect medical education programs (DME and IME) for training primary care, general surgery, psychiatrists, and emergency medicine physicians, the JCHC is also looking at increased use of physician extenders by changing their medical supervision arrangements and granting clinical psychologists prescriptive authority. Some of the options in the report are outlined as follows:

Option 11: Include in the 2010 JCHC work plan, a study of the prevalence, distribution and scope of practice for nurse practioners and physician assistants in Virginia.

Option 15: Introduce a joint-resolution requesting that the JCHC convene a task force to review allowing qualified clinical psychologists to prescribe pharmacological medications and report to JCHC. The report will detail licensure and educational requirements, oversight structure, changes to licensure and regulatory oversight processes, medications that may be prescribed, requirements for physician review and/or oversight for prescribing medications. The resolution would require an interim report to JCHC in 2010 with a final report by September 1, 2011. Task force participants would include: Board of Medicine, Board of Pharmacy, Board of Psychology, Medical Society of Virginia, Psychiatric Society of Virginia, Virginia Psychological Association, and Virginia Pharmacists Association.

The JCHC is accepting public comments on the options through September 29; comments will be summarized and presented to the JCHC at its October 7 meeting. 

In collaboration with representatives of the medical specialty societies, MSV developed comments expressing the community’s response to the options. MSV forwarded its comments to the JCHC on September 21, 2009. To read MSV’s comments, please click here. MSV and the medical specialty societies will also discuss any needed grassroots and lobbying efforts to inform members of the JCHC on physicians’ perspectives on the proposed options.

The JCHC is a legislative commission under Virginia statute that works to ensure that the greatest number of Virginians receive quality, cost-effective health care services.