Nurses today are asking our law firm what are the upcoming big changes to nursing scope of practice in California from AB 890.

Hi everyone, I’m Michael H Cohen, founding attorney at Cohen Healthcare Law Group; we help healthcare companies just like you navigate legal challenges so they can scale their healthcare venture.

Here’s the bottom line. Currently California’s Nursing Practice Act, provides for the certification and regulation of nurse practitioners by the Board of Registered Nursing (BRN). The Act authorizes nurses to implement “standardized procedures” that authorize a nurse practitioner to perform certain clinical activities in collaboration with a physician.

AB 890 establishes the Nurse Practitioner Advisory Committee to advise and give recommendations to the Nursing Board including, most importantly, defining minimum standards for a nurse practitioner to transition to practice independently.

This means the nurse could operate specified functions without standardized procedures with the doctor.  These functions could include: ordering, performing, and interpreting diagnostic test, certifying disability, administering, dispensing, and furnishing controlled substances.

California’s AB 890 is part of a larger national trend toward giving Nurse Practitioners increased practice autonomy.  This is a sea change for Nurse Practitioners wishing to open a medical spa, IV hydration clinical, or health and wellness center.

In the absence of legislation like this, we typically recommend that nurses practice either under supervision of or in collaboration with a licensed medical doctor, depending on the existing State law requires.

When you have any questions please contact us, and we look forward to working with you soon.