H.B. 218 - The SAVE Act Summary

• Modernizes nursing regulations in North Carolina by establishing a unified Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) license category encompassing four roles: Certified Nurse Practitioners (CNP), Certified Nurse Midwives (CNM), Clinical Nurse Specialists (CNS), and Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA).

• Grants APRNs prescribing, ordering, dispensing, and furnishing authority independent of physician supervision, removing requirements for joint Medical Board and Board of Nursing approval processes.

• Repeals G.S. 90-18.2 and establishes new licensure requirements for APRNs including application fees ($100.00), renewal fees ($100.00 for two-year periods), and reinstatement fees ($180.00), with annual increases capped at 20 percent.

• Requires the Governor to submit an "opt-out" letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services within 30 days to allow North Carolina hospitals and surgical centers maximum flexibility in obtaining Medicare reimbursement for anesthesia services.

• Clarifies that Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists may administer anesthetics in dental procedures under dentist or physician supervision and direction, and updates terminology throughout statutes from "nurse practitioners" to "certified nurse practitioners" with abbreviation changes from NP to CNP.