The MAAPPN mission includes promoting the role of the Psych APRN as a high quality, cost effective provider of mental health services. MAAPPN supports policies that sustain the Psych APRN to work to their full scope of practice. We accomplish this through promoting legislation and advocating for our members. We have representation on some of the most influential groups and committees in the state that impact our fiscal and practice environments.
MAAPPN has a long and storied history. In 1975, when nurses were excluded from insurance reimbursement we formed as Nurses United for Reimbursable Services (NURS) but within a year changed both the mission and name to “Nurses United for Responsible Services”. NURS met with astonishing success in accomplishing unprecedented legislative and policy gains in MA. In the intervening years, Psychiatric APRNs have continued to earn the respect of our colleagues and clients as highly skilled providers, reliable quality advocates and superb educators for our future generation of advanced practice nurses. Today, MAAPPN continues its mission to protect our ability to practice to our full scope. Many of MA Psychiatric APRNs enjoy life-long careers right here in the state and have long standing careers in serving our communities and citizens in any variety of settings. Psychiatric APRNs now have access to professional roles in institutions, facilities, group practices and in solo private practices. We enjoy the privileges of our clinical practice today in large part due to the past and current efforts of this extraordinary organization and look forward to many more years of MAAPPNs support for the Psychiatric Advanced Practice Nurse!
Legislative Victories
One of the first organizing victories was the right to collect reimbursements from insurance companies (1986) which established the Psychiatric CNS as a legitimate, mental health care provider and allowed greater access to our services.
In 1987, another bill sponsored by MAAPPN was passed granting clinical privileges and staff membership in health care facilities.
In 1989 CNSs gained authorization to sign for emergency involuntary hospitalization evaluations (Section 12 a)
In 1992, MAAPPN co-sponsored a bill which granted prescriptive authority.
In 2002, The guardianship bill, also sponsored by MAAPPN, was passed.
A long period of regrouping and organizing took place between 2002 and 2014. As Psych CNS’s began to accumulate years of successful, high quality service, it was also observed that many of our supervising physicnas were younger and less experienced. In addition, it was diffcult to find physician supervisors as they were aging out, retiring, and diminishing in the private care sector. The costs of retaining supervisors could also be quite expensive. In tandem, many Nurse practitioner groups were also seeking independent designations. MAAPPN partnered with our colleagues on any number of bills addressing this concern but eventually supervisory language could be agree on and success was met on Jan 1, 2021 when Governor Charlie Baker signed into law, An Act Promoting a Resilient Health Care System That Puts Patients First making Massachusetts the 23rd state in the nation to pass Full Independent Practice Authority legislation for Psych APRNs. At our June, 2021 MAAPPN Member meeting, we had the honor of hearing HHS Sec. Mary Lou Sudder announce that the order to remove supervision for experienced Psych APRNs would go into effect as of June 9th, 2021.
On Aug 1st, 2022 “Signatory” equivalence for CNSs to NPs is passed as part of the MH Omnibus Bill. This unifies the CNS with the NP law that allows for equal ability to sign forms like camp forms, referral forms, etc. and recognizes the CNS as an authorized signing professional.