Wood believes that it’s time for California to recognize the value nurse practitioners can bring to patients and to state’s health care system. He noted that 22 states already granted full practice authority to nurse practitioners.
“The full practice authority of NPs will result in primary care that is comparable to that of a physician, without question. This has been shown through research and is already happening in 22 other states. I won’t ignore those facts,” said Wood in a statement when he introduced the bill.
CMA remains concern about AB 890
Wood rejected a similar bill, SB 323 in 2015 because he had concerns regarding oversight of nurse practitioners. He changed his position on the matter because of the increasing need for primary care providers especially in rural and inner-city areas.
He addressed his and the California Medical Association’s (CMA) concerns by adding provisions under AB 890 to create a new licensing board to supervise nurse practitioners and to require a minimum level of experience before obtaining full authority to practice.
