The NCMS wants to make you aware of a lawsuit filed last week in Wake County Superior Court that directly challenges North Carolina’s physician collaborative practice agreement requirements for nurse practitioners.
A Wake County nurse practitioner filed suit challenging North Carolina’s requirement that NPs practice under a collaborative agreement with a physician. The complaint, Gallagher v. Rao-Patel and Ingram, names the presidents of the NC Medical Board and NC Board of Nursing and asks the court to declare the collaboration requirements unconstitutional.
NCMS opposes this lawsuit and the effort to eliminate North Carolina’s physician collaboration requirements through litigation. Patient safety is our top priority, and we believe physician-led collaboration enhances access to quality, coordinated care rather than limiting it. These requirements were carefully considered and enacted by the North Carolina General Assembly, and NCMS defends the General Assembly’s role, not the courts, as the appropriate body to set the standards governing the practice of medicine in our state.
NCMS is closely monitoring this case. We will keep members updated as this litigation develops and communicate opportunities to advocate for our position as it proceeds. We are also working to form a legal coalition with other specialty groups to ensure the physician community remains actively involved in the case. In the meantime, please add your name to our petition showing your support for North Carolina’s physician collaborative practice agreement.
Thank you for your continued engagement on issues that affect the practice of medicine in North Carolina.
North Carolina Medical Society