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Bill improves APNs' ability to help patients

By voting yes on House Bill 421, Illinois lawmakers can provide their constituents with full and direct access to advanced practice nurses (APNs), bringing to the state a 21st-century health care delivery model that has been proven safe and effective in 19 states.

The bill allows patients to receive needed health services that APNs are prepared to deliver and already provide in various settings - from making diagnoses to writing prescriptions.

The bill accomplishes this by retiring a paper-only agreement between Illinois physicians and Advanced Practice Nurses that provides no level of protection for patients, but adds bureaucratic layers that delay and obstruct care.

Data shows that by eliminating these mandated agreements, Illinois can positively increase patient access to primary health care services.

The Affordable Care Act has provided thousands of new individuals with insurance coverage in our state. We must be prepared for this demand and make sure our most vulnerable patients receive care where and when they need it.

Extensive independent research further shows APNs provide health services that are equivalent in quality to those of physicians providing the same or similar types of care. This data has been collected from the many states that have enjoyed full and direct access to APNs for decades.

With demand for health services skyrocketing, Illinois needs its advanced practice nurse workforce now more than ever, even as current regulations threaten to drive them away. It's time to do what's right for patients. Ask your representatives to vote yes on House Bill 421 (SB 1315) and preserve patients' ability to receive full and direct care from nurse practitioners in Illinois.

Leta M Vaughan

Arlington Heights

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