In a Dallas Morning News Op-ed published on the heels of the public launch of full practice bills HB 1415/Sb 681, Jim Mitchell calls Texas out for what he calls the "talent drain" effect and archaic "pay-to-play" policies holding Texas Advanced Practice Nurses and their patients back.
"Tanya Marin, a pediatric nurse practitioner, wanted to open her own clinic in El Paso," Jim Mitchell described in his article. "But when she looked into the requirements, Marin discovered that state law required her to shell out anywhere from $20,000 to over $100,000 to get a doctor to oversee her operation."
So what did Tanya decide to do?
"Frustrated, Marin took matters into her own hands — over the state line. Eighteen months ago, she opened her own pediatric night clinic in Santa Teresa, N.M., less than one mile from the Texas border. She's among dozens of trained nurse practitioners that New Mexico, a state without a pay-to-play requirement, has been able to steal away from Texas."
Read the full article here: http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/editorials/2017/02/16/texas-health-care-access-crisis-two-bills-help-solve