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- CAP and AMA Urge Veteran Affairs Dept. to Halt Standards of Practice Workgroups to Comply with Scope of Practice Laws
The CAP, the American Medical Association (AMA) and other medical organization are asking the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) stop the development of National Standards of Practice (NSP) workgroups that conflict with state law arguing that they will lead to a confusing mix of standards that are not meaningfully different than the current variability among state scope of practice laws. In a letter, the organizations also asked the VA to disclose the names of all participants on the 51 NSP workgroups and to include unbiased physician representatives on every workgroup.
The VA launched its effort to develop NSPs for 51 healthcare occupations, referred to as the Federal Supremacy Project, following publication of the “Authority of VA Professionals to Practice Health Care” Interim Final Rule in November 2020. The VA has invoked the Supremacy Clause so that it can develop NSPs unrestricted by state scope of practice and medical licensure laws, potentially enabling some healthcare occupations to practice independent of physician supervision. This includes optometrists, physician assistants, pharmacists and other nonphysician providers who serve more than 9 million veterans enrolled in the VA health care program.
To learn more, watch the House Committee on Veteran’s Affairs Subcommittee on Health oversight hearing titled: “VA’s Federal Supremacy Initiative: Putting Veterans First?” held on September 19, 2023.