Assembly Bill 44 seeks to amend existing statutes to allow advanced practice nurse prescribers to pronounce the date, time, and place of a patient's death for the preparation of death records. Currently, only certain healthcare providers, such as physicians, naturopathic doctors, and physician assistants, are authorized 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 advanced practice nurse prescribers among those who can officially declare a 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 allows these nurse prescribers, when directly involved in a patient's care, to 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