Nurses Waiting 6 Months or More for Licenses

According to an investigation done by NPR, nurses across the U.S. experience months-long waits to receive their nursing licenses from state nursing boards. NPR requested licensing records from every state nursing board; they received records from 32 boards. From these records, they concluded that over one third of last year’s new licenses took over three months to process—leaving 80,000 nurses waiting for their license. In addition, approximately one in 10 nurses waited six months or longer, NPR found.

N.J. Proposed Rule Forbids Discriminatory Conduct from Licensees

New Jersey’s Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin announced proposed anti-discrimination rules for the 51 boards supported by the Division of Consumer Affairs. The rules allow the boards to suspend or revoke a license, if the licensee discriminates against or harasses someone. The proposed rules apply to about 720,000 licensees overseen by 51 professional and occupational boards. The New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs plans to accept comments on the proposed rule until May 6, according to New Jersey’s Office of the Attorney General on March 7.

Physicians Sentenced in $250M Billing Fraud Scheme

Twelve physicians in Michigan and Ohio received prison sentences for submitting $250 million in false billings to insurance companies, according to the Justice Department. Prosecutors explained that the physicians only prescribed opioids to patients with back pain, if the patients also received unnecessary back injections; according to prosecutors, the physicians chose the injections as they were highly reimbursed procedures. Four other defendants took part in the multi-state fraud scheme, with three still awaiting sentencing, according to Becker’s Hospital Review on March 10.

National Pharmacy Board Reviews Policy Changes Made During the Pandemic

In Regulation Matters: A CLEAR conversation, Al Carter, executive director of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP), discusses a report from NABP to consider extending waivers issued during the pandemic. The group looked at policy changes in three areas: what to consider for permanent consideration in all circumstances, what to consider during special or unusual circumstances, and what to consider during declared emergencies. Listen to or read more of the conversation to discover how the association evaluated policy changes.

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Nurses Waiting 6 Months or More for Licenses