Electronic Spring 2023 | Issue 54
Advocacy in Springfield: Opposing Scope Expansion with Prescribing Psychologists
By: The IPS GAC Leadership Team
Psychologists have pushed for prescription privileges since the early 90s. Many bills have been introduced across the country for many years. While the majority of these bills have been rejected, there are 6 states (Illinois, New Mexico, Louisiana, Iowa, Idaho, and Colorado) that have passed laws to allow psychologists to prescribe. Each state has slightly different requirements, but the general premise is the same.
In Illinois, IPS has vigorously opposed legislation that allows prescribing privileges for psychologists (RxP) for decades. However, in 2014, the Senate President Pro-Tempore re-introduced the psychology prescribing legislation in Illinois. Despite our strong opposition, the proponents for the psychologist prescribing bill were able to get the legislation passed. IPS’s strong lobbying efforts didn’t stop there. We then successfully worked to incorporate important language, crucial for patient safety. Our contributions ensured didactic and practical education standards, and limitations on scope. They were not allowed to prescribe to patients under 17 or over 65, or to anyone pregnant or with serious medical conditions, developmental or intellectual disability. They were not permitted to prescribe narcotics, stimulants, or benzodiazepines. Psychologists from out of state could not be licensed without meeting the Illinois standards.
Since this law passed nine years ago, we are informed that 14 psychologists have been licensed as prescribing psychologists. Yet we do not know the impact this law has made on patient access.
Again in 2019, new bills were introduced for expansion of psychology prescription privileges. Minimal alterations in the educational requirements were agreed to by all parties which did not compromise patient safety in any way. However, in 2022, a new psychology prescribing bill was introduced that proposed to remove the safeguards put in place, as noted above. This bill would have allowed the psychologists to prescribe stimulants and other scheduled drugs to patients of all ages, including children and older adults, with no accompanying increase in training.
Our Governmental Affairs team of IPS members, lobbyists, and communications staff worked tirelessly behind the scenes, to oppose this bill in 2022. We sought data on the distribution of prescribing psychologists’ practices, patient outcomes, accreditation of the institutions granting clinical psychopharmacology degrees, the content and standardization of the psychology prescribing qualifying examination, the make-up of the IDFPR psychology board (and the reason for absence of any physicians on that board), and the licensure process. Sponsors and lobbyists for the prescribing psychologists bill promised answers but have not yet delivered them. Ultimately, this bill never made it out of committee due to our lobbying efforts.
It appears that the proponents of the psychology prescribing legislation will continue to push their agenda and have reintroduced a similar bill in this spring 2023 legislative session (SB 1586.) This year’s bill is sponsored by Senator Bill Cunningham, current President Pro Tempore. SB 1586 would allow prescribing psychologists to expand their privileges to prescribe to children under the age of 17 and over 65, as well as allow them to prescribe stimulants and benzodiazepines without any additional educational training.
Thanks to a grant provided by APA, we were able to add additional lobbyists and a media consultant to our advocacy team, led by Mark Peysakhovich. Because of the increased efforts by our lobbying team and many members of the IPS leadership and Governmental Affairs Committee (GAC,) we were successful in preventing the bill from moving through the legislature at this time. However, we will remain vigilant, as the bill can still move through the committee at any time.
As the nation has seen more of a push for prescription privileges for mid-level providers, IPS will always work hard, along with our lobby team and coalition partners, to put patient safety first and foremost as our priority. IPS will continue to work for all communities in Illinois to have behavioral and mental health care that is evidence-based, safe, accessible, and reimbursed fairly, on a par with other health care services.
So, let’s work together. IPS counts on its members to continue to ensure patient safety by opposing unsafe legislation and helping IPS to increase safe access for our patients. We can do this by working closely with our Illinois elected officials and regulatory bodies. You can make an impact by joining the IPS Governmental Affairs committee and helping shape our advocacy efforts.
Ways to get involved:
Read SB 1586
Visit the IPS website for Advocacy Information
Read the member communications for legislative updates.
Connect with your legislators and become their resource. Find your legislators. Refer to fact sheet when communicating with them.
Help publicize solutions with letters, interviews, testimonies.
Reach out to Kristen Malloy at kmalloy@ilpsych.org, or contact IPS leadership with any questions, comments, or suggestions.