Healthcare in TN could see change

A legislation was recently passed that could change healthcare for the state of Tennessee. Now let's hear about the pros and the cons that would come with it.

The bill would allow nurse practitioners, midwives, and CRNA’s to practice independently.

Something that the dean of Union University’s college of nursing says they have been waiting for.

“We want to be able to practice without paying a physician to come in and sign 20 percent of our charts," says Dr. Kelly Darden.

Dr. Harden says she doesn’t want to replace physicians, but the bill would allow them to offer healthcare options where it currently lacks, for example rural areas in Tennessee.

“It'll save money because we wont have to pay for that, service that is not affecting patient outcomes. It'll make healthcare more accessible to the citizens of Tennessee,” says Dr. Harden.

On the other hand, Ron Kirkland with Physicians for Patient Protection, worries about patient safety and their ability to determine whether they would go see a nurse, or a physician.

He believes in keeping a connection between the two.

"Something you think is indigestion could be a heart attack. Physicians have an enormous amount of training before they start taking care of patients. The number of hours is 10 thousand hours for example,” says Physician Ron Kirkland.

Tennessee wouldn’t be the first state to do something like this. In fact, if passed, it would be the 23rd.