Assembly Bill 44 seeks to amend existing statutes to allow advanced practice nurse prescribers to officially pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient's death for the purpose of preparing death records. Currently, only certain healthcare providers, such as physicians, naturopathic doctors, and physician assistants, have the authority to make such pronouncements. The bill introduces a new definition for "advanced practice nurse prescriber" and modifies the existing definition of "date of death" to include these prescribers among those authorized to declare a patient's death.

Specifically, the bill creates a new section (69.01 (1g)) defining advanced practice nurse prescribers and amends section 69.01 (6g) to include them in the list of professionals who can pronounce death. Additionally, it establishes section 69.18 (1) (cL), which explicitly states that advanced practice nurse prescribers involved in a patient's care may pronounce the date, time, and place of death in accordance with accepted medical standards. This legislative change aims to enhance the role of advanced practice nurses in end-of-life care and streamline the process of death record preparation.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 69.01(6g), 69.01