As it is every year, numerous pieces of legislation impacting physicians were signed into law in California in 2023. The following new health laws are particularly relevant to physician practices and medical professional liability. This alert is based on information obtained from the California Medical Association. All laws are effective January 1, 2024, unless otherwise noted. Allied Health Professionals: AB 1070 – Supervision of Physician Assistants: Exceptions Permits a physician and surgeon to supervise up to 8 physician assistants at one time if all the physician assistants are focused solely on performing in-home health evaluations to gather patient information and...
Nurse Practitioner Expanded Scope of Practice in California
Beginning in 2023, certified nurse practitioners can apply to practice independently in California. Assembly Bill 890, which was signed into law in September 2020, went into effect on 1/1/23. The law created two new categories of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) that can function within a defined scope of practice without standardized procedures. The California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN)recently released the application on February 2nd, so nurse practitioners are now able to apply for expanded scope of practice. The two new Nurse Practitioner categories and their requirements are as follows: 103 NP Works under the provisions outlined in Business and Profession Code...
A variety of subjects impacting physicians were signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2022. Following is a sampling of new laws you should be aware of; all are effective by January 1, 2023 unless otherwise noted. A comprehensive report on new healthcare laws is available from the California Medical Association. AB 35: Updates to the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA). Key provisions include a limited increase to the non-economic damage cap, a modified attorney fee structure, and a revised minimum threshold for payment for future economic damages following a judgment. Read our MICRA 2022 Update for details....
Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health: Abortion Laws and How Physicians Can Protect Themselves
The recent decision on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health by the U.S. Supreme Court has pushed the issue of reproductive health back to state legislators. As each state grapples with how it will deal with this issue, it has created tremendous uncertainty for the physicians who serve those communities. Physicians are caught in an impossible situation of trying to care for their patients while operating within the law – with boundaries that are less clear and well-defined as they have been for the past 50 years. As we have for the past 47 years, MIEC will continue to stand with...
A variety of subjects impacting physicians were signed into law by Governor Newsom in 2021. Following is a sampling of new laws you should be aware of; all are effective January 1, 2022 unless otherwise noted. A comprehensive report on new healthcare laws is available from the California Medical Association. Electronic Prescribing Mandate This law (passed by the California Legislature in 2018) requires that almost all prescriptions written in California be transmitted electronically. The California Medical Association has published a description of the law, including the types of prescriptions that are exempt from the mandate. Does electronic prescribing trigger HIPAA...