Senate Bill 1239 amends the Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act (ANCRA) to require that the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) refer any report received regarding the alleged abuse or neglect of a child by a person who is not the child’s parent, a member of the child’s immediate family, a person responsible for the child’s welfare, an individual residing in the same home as the child, or a paramour of the child’s parent to the appropriate local law enforcement agency and State’s Attorney for consideration of criminal investigation or other action.

• Bill Status of SB 1239

House Bill 2813 would allow certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) to provide care, including the delivery of anesthesia, independent of physicians.   As physicians know, the delivery of anesthesia is unlike any other medical service; it is a complex, high-risk service in which life-threatening complications can present quickly. 

The delivery of anesthesia, as well as pain management, is considered critical care – not primary care. When adverse events arise, they require immediate medical attention by physicians to prevent serious injury or death.

• Bill Status of HB 2813
• ISMS Position Paper

HB 2233 is a trial lawyer initiative to eliminate the use of special interrogatories. Special interrogatories are an important feature of our civil justice system and must be preserved.

A special interrogatory tests the general verdict against the jury’s determination as to one or more specific issues of fact involved in the case before the jury. The answer to a special interrogatory controls the verdict where it is inconsistent with the general verdict. Generally, a jury more clearly understands a particularized special interrogatory than a composite of all the questions in a case consolidated into the general verdict. This promotes fairness to all parties in the lawsuit.

Eliminating special interrogatories would unfairly hurt plaintiffs. ISMS strongly opposed HB 2233.  We are happy to report that we negotiated an agreement that still allows for special interrogatories and maintains our ability to have a second bite at the apple.

• Status of HB 2233
• ISMS Position Paper

House Bill 3714 amends the Medical Patient Rights Act to add a new section prohibiting the presence of an attorney who represents any party in an adversarial legal action during an independent medical examination (IME) conducted for the purpose of that legal action, unless consent has been obtained from both the patient and the health care professional performing the independent medical examination. If an attorney is present, all other parties who are represented by an attorney in that legal action must also have an attorney present who has met the consent requirements. If an attorney is unable to meet the consent requirements, then no attorney representing any party in the action may be present. An attorney present during the IME may not communicate with the patient or health care professional performing the IME.

• Bill Status of HB 3714

House Bill 2 would create and legislate new standards of medical care for expecting mothers. We are not opposed to clarifying patients’ rights, particularly as they relate to maternal care, but those rights have to be balanced with the specific needs of the individual patient, especially as those needs arise in emergency situations. Patients’ interests are best served when their medical providers are not restricted by legislation that ties their hands from providing necessary care.

• Bill Status of HB 2
• ISMS Position Paper

ISMS strongly supports Senate Bill 1909, a comprehensive approach to reducing maternal mortality rates in Illinois.

• Bill Status of SB 1909
• ISMS Position Paper

House Bill 2638 would require prescribers to offer a prescription for naloxone when certain conditions are met, bypassing their professional judgment as to whether naloxone co-prescription is appropriate. It would also mandate that physicians have specific conversations not only with the patient, but also with one or more individuals designated by the patient.

• Bill Status of HB 2638
• ISMS Position Paper

Illinois’ Medical Practice Act of 1987 is an essential state law that governs the practice of medicine in Illinois. Without it, any person, regardless of qualification, could practice medicine in Illinois without restriction or penalty. 

Currently, the Medical Practice Act is set to expire on December 31, 2019. In recent years, the Act has been renewed for short durations, usually one or two years. Each time the Act comes before the General Assembly for renewal, there are inappropriate attempts to make changes that are detrimental to the practice of medicine. 

ISMS is backing House Bill 1635 and Senate Bill 1221, which will extend the Act for 10 years.

• Bill Status of HB 1635
• Bill Status of SB 1221
• View ISMS Issue Brief

House Bill 2338 would license naturopaths as physicians and allow them to provide a full range of medical services to patients in Illinois, including caring for children; providing specialty care, such as gynecological services; and treating patients with chronic conditions, such as diabetes and cancer.  

Naturopaths do not have sufficient training to provide safe and effective medical care.  Under House Bill 2338, the education required to be licensed as a naturopath would include attending an naturopathic accredited four-year school and completing only 4,200 hours of “clinical training,” which is simply time spent observing other naturopaths.  Also, there is no residency program that naturopaths are required to complete.

Naturopathic education focuses much of its attention on botanical medicine, homeopathy, hydrotherapy and counseling. There is no consistent application of evidence-based principles and scientific study for naturopathic treatments.

• Bill Status of HB 2338
• ISMS Position Paper

HB 3355 and SB 1725 would provide physician assistants a broad scope of practice that mirrors the responsibilities of physicians while allowing them to treat patients independent of physicians.

• Bill Status of HB 3355
• Bill Status of SB 1725

House Bill 2303 amends the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (CSA) to prohibit the unauthorized request for or possession of a prescriber’s Illinois controlled substance license number or DEA number. This change is located in the relevant section of the CSA addressing unauthorized possession of a prescription form.

• Bill Status of HB 2303

House Bill 3113 would require health plans to cover one annual medically necessary screening for skin cancer that is not otherwise provided as part of a routine dermatology examination. Further, the annual screening would not impose any deductibles, coinsurance, copayments or other cost-sharing requirements for patients.

Early detection is vital in the fight against skin cancer, which is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States. Most cases are preventable. Unfortunately, the incidences of skin cancer continue to rise. In 2019, it is estimated that there will be 3,750 new cases of melanoma in Illinois. 

• Bill Status of HB 3113
• ISMS Position Paper

House Bill 2328 is an ISMS initiative to amend the Hospital Licensing Act to prohibit an employment agreement from containing any provision to restrict the ability of a physician to leave employment with the hospital or hospital affiliate and immediately continue to practice in the same field of medicine in the same geographic area, a provision commonly known as a "restrictive covenant" or "non-compete clause."

• Bill Status of SB 2328

Tobacco 21 is a national effort to raise the legal age to purchase tobacco products from 18 to 21. Several states have already enacted this legislation and numerous cities and jurisdictions have imposed local ordinances. 

ISMS supports Tobacco 21 legislation that has been introduced in Illinois (HB 345), as nearly all adult smokers started as kids. Imposing a barrier to access tobacco products at an early age will prevent more young people from starting to smoke, which means a reduction in future deaths, disease and health care costs.  

Similar legislation passed in 2018, but was vetoed by former Gov. Rauner. HB 345 passed in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly.  It is now awaits Governor Pritzker's signature.

• Status of HB 345
• House Roll Call
• Tobacco 21 Position Paper
• Tobacco 21 Fact Sheet