Stricken language would be deleted from and underlined language would be added to present law.
Act 607 of the Regular Session
1 State of Arkansas As Engrossed: H2/24/21 S3/3/21
2 93rd General Assembly A Bill
3 Regular Session, 2021 HOUSE BILL 1215
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5 By: Representative Bentley
6 By: Senator K. Hammer
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8 For An Act To Be Entitled
9 AN ACT TO GRANT FULL PRACTICE AUTHORITY TO CERTIFIED
10 NURSE MIDWIVES; AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES.
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13 Subtitle
14 TO GRANT FULL PRACTICE AUTHORITY TO
15 CERTIFIED NURSE MIDWIVES.
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18 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ARKANSAS:
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20 SECTION 1. Arkansas Code 17-87-302(a)(3), concerning the
21 qualifications to be licensed as an advanced practice registered nurse, is
22 amended to read as follows:
23 (3) Certified Nurse Midwife. To qualify as a certified nurse
24 midwife, an applicant shall:
25 (A) Hold current certification by a national certifying
26 body recognized by the board in the advanced practice registered nurse role
27 and population foci appropriate to educational preparation; and
28 (B) Have an agreement with a consulting physician if
29 providing intrapartum care full practice authority under 17-87-314; or
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31 SECTION 2. Arkansas Code Title 17, Chapter 87, Subchapter 3, is
32 amended to add an additional section to read as follows:
33 17-87-314. Full practice authority for certified nurse midwives
34 Definition.
35 (a)(1) The General Assembly finds that:
36 (A)(i) Certified nurse midwives are advanced practice
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1 registered nurses who are national certified after completing post-graduate
2 specialty education in an accredited program.
3 (ii) The scope of nurse midwifery includes care of
4 gynecological and family planning services, preconception care, care during
5 pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum care, care of a normal newborn during
6 the first twenty-eight (28) days of life, and treatment of male partners for
7 sexually transmitted infections;
8 (B) When women and infants do not have access to routine,
9 quality health care, there is an increased risk of maternal and infant
10 mortality and morbidity, including infant mortality and morbidity resulting
11 from low birth weight and preterm birth;
12 (C) Certified nurse midwives are often underutilized in
13 helping provide maternity, prenatal, postnatal, intrapartum, and reproductive
14 healthcare services in this state;
15 (D) In 2018, less than one percent (1%) of births in
16 Arkansas were attended by a certified nurse midwife;
17 (E) Integrating certified nurse midwives into maternity
18 care could help improve women's access to healthcare providers and quality of
19 care;
20 (F) Midwifery-led models of care have been proven to
21 improve maternal and infant outcomes for socially at-risk communities and
22 achieve good maternal and infant outcomes on a large scale; and
23 (G) To increase healthcare provider choices for women and
24 access to maternity, prenatal, postnatal, intrapartum, and reproductive
25 healthcare services, the certified nurse midwives of this state should be
26 granted full authority to practice to the extent of their education, clinical
27 training, and certification.
28 (2) It is the intent of the General Assembly to grant certified
29 nurse midwives full practice authority.
30 (b) As used in this section, "full practice authority" means the
31 authority of a healthcare professional to:
32 (1) Evaluate patients;
33 (2) Diagnose medical conditions;
34 (3) Order and interpret diagnostic tests;
35 (4) Initiate and manage treatment and care plans, including
36 appropriate comanagement or transfer of high-risk patients to other
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1 healthcare professionals as needed; and
2 (5) Prescribe and administer drugs listed in Schedules III V
3 without a collaborative practice agreement or supervision of another
4 healthcare professional when performing healthcare services.
5 (c)(1) A certified nurse midwife with full practice authority is not
6 subject to the collaborative practice agreement requirements in 17-87-310
7 if providing prescriptions of medications that are in Schedules III V.
8 (2) A collaborative practice agreement under 17-87-310 is
9 required to provide prescriptions of medications that are in Schedule II.
10 (d) For a delivery outside of an accredited facility, the certified
11 nurse midwife shall identify a licensed physician or facility, or both, with
12 which an arrangement has been made for referral and consultation in the event
13 of a medical complication.
14 (e) This section does not authorize a certified nurse midwife to
15 perform an abortion or provide abortion counseling or abortion referrals.
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17 /s/Bentley
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20 APPROVED: 4/7/21
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