Sacramento – On behalf of the California Medical Association (CMA) and the Coalition for Patient Access and Quality Care, CMA President Paul R. Phinney, M.D., issued the following statement after SB 491 failed to pass out of the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection:

“The 37,000 members of CMA and the dozens of groups aligned in the Coalition for Patient Access and Quality Care applaud the members of the Assembly Committee on Business, Professions and Consumer Protection for their work today. SB 491 would have allowed nurse practitioners to practice medicine far beyond their training, putting patients in harm’s way.

“There was a good, robust conversation about the need to expand access to care for patients across California, and we look forward to continuing to work with Senator Hernandez and the rest of the state legislature to address those issues.

“Despite what some proponents of the bill may have said, SB 491 would not have expanded access to care; it simply would have further fragmented the health care delivery system and increased costs for patients across the state. “

The Coalition includes the California Medical Association; Union of Physicians and Dentists, AFSCME 206; California Academy of Family Physicians; Diabetes Coalition of California; California Society of Anesthesiologists; BlindChildrens Center; California Academy of Eye Physicians and Surgeons; American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery; Latino Physicians of California; Chinese Medical Dental Association; Let’s Face It Together; Minority Health Institute, Inc.; Dream Machine Foundation; Canvasback Missions, Inc; Lighthouse Mission; Time for Change Foundation; Here 4 Them; and Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of California; among others.