Four things to know:
1. The Assembly Business and Professions Committee approved the bill April 9 in a 16-0 vote.
2. Advocates say the bill will help ensure California’s aging population has access to healthcare services, despite an ongoing shortage of primary care physicians.
3. The California Medical Association is lobbying against the bill, arguing that nurse practitioners do not have the extensive education or clinical training needed to practice medicine without physician supervision.
4. The legislation will now head to the Assembly Appropriations Committee, which is “a common graveyard for legislative attempts,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
More articles on healthcare quality:
New Jersey nurse staffing improved after public disclosure law enacted, study finds
CDC’s secrecy of drug-resistant outbreaks in hospitals sparks patient safety debate
Cases of deadly fungal infection in US rise to 587
