Scope of Practice

Why is this important to family physicians?

Clearly defined scopes of practice for the variety of healthcare professions are essential to protecting both a family physicians' education as well as their patients' safety.

What recently happened on this topic?

Pharmacists & HIV Treatment

House Bill 4430 was closely watched in 2022 as a result of ambitious pharmacist scope of expansion efforts in 2021 that were opposed by IAFP, see House Bill 2499 - Senate Amendment 1, page 550, subsection 14. Following negotiations with between pharmacist and physician interest groups, House Bill 4430 was amended to

preserve HIV screening/testing best practices and the role of physicians. Although some initial assessment and dispensing is authorized for pharmacists, a medical standing order must be followed along with a referral to the primary care physician for reactive test results, privacy requirements, and training, which are consistent with legislative trends in other states, see AAFP Pharmacist Scope of Practice Survey & AAFP Pharmacist Scope of Practice Position Statement.

Naturopath Scope Expansion Attempted

Senate Bill 3025 provided for naturopath licensure and scope of practice expansion that was opposed by IAFP and other physician groups in 2022, and did not pass out of the Senate. IAFP opposition focused on naturopath licensure as a “physician,” expanded scope of practice beyond current naturopath practices, and insufficient education related to authorized scope of practice; see AAFP Naturopath Scope of Practice.

Internationally-Licensed Health Care Professionals

IAFP member input will also be essential to implementation of House Bill 5465, which creates the Task Force on Internationally-Licensed Health Care Professionals Act. Like most task forces, they will consider and publicly record relevant reports from stakeholder associations, which presents an opportunity for IAFP to influence state findings and recommendations regarding the regulation of internationally-licensed health care professionals in Illinois.