Policy Evaluation of Recent Legislation Affecting the Role of ARNPs and PAs in the Washington State Workers' Compensation System: SHB 1691 and SB 6356

Investigators: Jeanne Sears, Tom Wickizer, Bobbie Berkowitz, Allen Cheadle, Mary Salazar, Gary Franklin

The goal of this project was to evaluate the impact of two bills that took effect on 7/1/04, SHB 1691 and SB 6356. SHB 1691 authorized ARNPs to independently perform those functions of an attending physician within their scope of practice, including signing accident report forms and certifying time loss. SB 6356 authorized PAs to sign accident report forms for uncomplicated patients. The legislature required that an evaluation of both bills be completed prior to the scheduled sunset date of 6/30/07. The evaluation of this policy experiment included factors such as changes in access and the geographic distribution of providers, administrative efficiency, service patterns, and disability and cost outcomes.

 

Reports:

1.    Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. 2006. Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners
as Attending Providers in the Washington State Workers’ Compensation System. Report to the Legislature:
As required by SHB 1691 (Chapter 65, Laws of 2004). Download report (PDF).

2.    Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. 2006. Physician Assistants as Providers for
Simple Industrial Injury Claims in the Washington State Workers’ Compensation System. Report to the
Legislature: As required by SB 6356 (Chapter 163, Laws of 2004). Download report (PDF).

Publications:

1.    Sears JM, Wickizer TM, Franklin GM, Cheadle AD, Berkowitz B. 2007. Nurse practitioners as
attending providers for workers with uncomplicated back injuries: Using administrative data to evaluate
quality and process of care. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 49(8):900-908.

2.    Sears JM, Wickizer TM, Franklin GM, Cheadle AD, Berkowitz B. 2007. Nurse practitioners as
attending providers for injured workers: Evaluating the effect of role expansion on disability and costs.
Medical Care. 45(12):1154-1161.

3.    Sears JM, Wickizer TM, Franklin GM, Cheadle AD, Berkowitz B. 2008. Expanding the role of nurse
practitioners: Effects on rural access to care for injured workers. Journal of Rural Health.
24(2):171-178.

4.    Sears JM, Hogg-Johnson S. 2009. Enhancing the policy impact of evaluation research: A case study
of nurse practitioner role expansion in a state workers’ compensation system. Nursing Outlook.
57(2):99-106.