ABN requiring additional documentation
Posted over 5 years ago by Janiece Smith
NPAA Colleagues,
I sent the below email to my UAB colleagues and thought it would be helpful to all of you. I apologize for taking a shortcut and piggybacking onto a previous email of Robin's!
The Alabama Board of Nursing (ABN) is requiring additional documentation from all CRNPs and CNMs during this renewal cycle. ABN did send out an email to all CRNPs recently about this requirement and as the ABN advanced practice representative, I wanted to also make sure you are aware of this requirement and the rationale for the decision. Two factors prompted this change:
- Physicians on the Joint Committee that oversees collaborative practice have become more vocal about CRNP quality assurance and emergency plans and have tabled approval of some collaborative practice applications until the ABN obtained this information.
- Occasionally physicians will state that they were unaware that they were the collaborating physician for a CRNP. This can happen in larger health systems when the CRNP and physician are dependent on administrative staff to process their regulatory paperwork. By requiring the physician to sign all current and future forms, this will protect the CRNP from physicians later stating that they were not aware of such arrangements.
When you renew your RN and CRNP licenses, you must complete all of the steps below by December 31, 2018.
- Go to https://www.abn.alabama.gov click on RN renewal and log into My Profile. Answer the RN/CRNP renewal questions and pay the fee. You no longer pay an additional fee if you wait until December to renew.
- Complete the Quality Assurance form that is attached to this email. I also attached a sample QA plan that is posted on ABN website. Administrative Code for Collaborative Practice Chapter 610-X-5 states that the QA plan should contain a "meaningful selected sample of patient records". You decide the number and remember, if you are ever audited you must be following your plan that you created. It is expected that your QA plan include collaborative review of all adverse outcomes so that line cannot be changed. You also can decide the frequency of collaborative review of the sampled charts but it must be done at least every quarter. This form must be signed by you and the physician. Once it is signed, scan and email it toadvancedpractice@abn.alabama. gov by 12/31/18.
- You are also required to send a copy of your Standard Protocol to ABN. This protocol can be very simple, no need to be too detailed. The protocol must contain your emergency plan. If you are practicing in the outpatient setting, you can state "will stabilize the patient until emergency personnel arrives". For acute care setting, it's appropriate to state "will activate code system and follow hospital procedures". This form must be signed by you and the physician. Once it is signed, scan and email it to advancedpractice@abn.alabama. gov by 12/31/18.
I hope you find this information useful. For additional information, you can contact me or ABN's advanced practice consultant Dawn Daniel at dawn.daniel@abn.alabama.gov
Feel free to forward to other CRNP colleagues.
Sincerely,
Natalie Baker