Emergency services and care: nurse-midwives.

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the specific licensing rules that nurse-midwives must follow, only that they can work without physician supervision under certain conditions.

Nurse-Midwives in Emergency Care

AB-1696 allows nurse-midwives to provide emergency care without physician supervision under certain conditions.

What This Bill Does

• Allows nurse-midwives to give emergency medical care within their license scope without a doctor's supervision.
• Specifies that nurse-midwives can work in labor and delivery units, obstetric triage areas, or dedicated emergency obstetric evaluation units without needing a doctor present.

Who It Names or Affects

• Nurse-midwives who provide emergency medical services
• Patients receiving emergency care from nurse-midwives

Terms To Know

Emergency Services and Care

Medical screening, examination, and evaluation to determine if an emergency condition exists and providing necessary treatment.

Nurse-Midwife

A healthcare professional who provides care for women during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum periods.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify what happens if a nurse-midwife is unsure about the emergency condition.
• It's unclear how this change will affect current hospital policies regarding supervision of nurse-midwives.
• This bill has passed both chambers but its final status and implementation are pending.

Official Summary Text

AB 1696, as amended, Stefani.
Emergency services and care: nurse-midwives.
Existing law provides for the licensing and regulation of health facilities by the State Department of Public Health and
generally
makes a violation of those provisions a crime. Existing law, the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, provides for the licensure and regulation of health care service plans by the Department of Managed Health Care and
generally
makes a willful violation of the act a crime.
Existing
Existing
law requires a health facility to provide emergency services and care upon request
or when a
for any condition in which the
person is in danger of loss of life or serious injury or
illness, and
illness. Existing law
requires a health care service plan to reimburse providers for emergency services and care.
Existing
Existing
law defines “emergency services and care” for these purposes to mean medical screening, examination, and evaluation by a physician and surgeon, or other appropriate licensed persons under the supervision of a physician and surgeon, to determine if an emergency medical condition or active labor exists and, if it does, the care, treatment, and surgery, if within the scope of that person’s license, necessary to relieve or eliminate the emergency medical condition, within the capability of the facility, among other things.
This bill would specify that
a nurse-midwife, as specified, does not require physician supervision when the nurse-midwife is providing emergency services and care within the scope of their authorized licensure.
the above-described provisions would not require physician
supervision of a licensed nurse-midwife in the labor and delivery unit, obstetric triage, or dedicated emergency obstetric evaluation unit, when the nurse-midwife is providing care to the extent authorized by, and consistent with, specified licensing and certification provisions, or when the nurse-midwife is specifically requested by the treating physician and surgeon to provide obstetric consultation.
By changing the scope of a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.

Current Bill Text

Download Bill PDF