IPS Legislative Actions
As the mental health authority in Illinois, the Illinois Psychiatric Society has a responsibility to actively participate in the legislative process to ensure that our patients’ interests are protected. We actively encourage your support and involvement with our legislative initiatives.
The Illinois Psychiatric Society not only protects our patients by vigorously opposing bills introduced by psychologists seeking prescribing privileges but also, over the past four years, has introduced legislation to help mentally ill persons.
Psychiatry Practice Incentive Act: Another victory for IPS! On July 30, 2010, Governor Quinn signed HB 5053 into law, PA 96-1411. IPS was pleased to support this important bill that was introduced by a rural health organization. This Law creates the Psychiatry Practice Incentive Act. Click Here for more information.
Telecourt: GREAT NEWS! This year IPS, along with the Illinois State Bar Association and the Illinois Hospital Association, introduced HB 5351. This bill permits Circuit Courts to adopt rules permitting video conferencing of involuntary admission and involuntary treatment hearings. Videoconferencing will decrease the cost, to hospitals, of hearings and, therefore, will diminish the incentive for hospitals to discharge patients rather than to proceed with petitioning the court for involuntary admission and/or treatment. Click Here for more information.
IPS Supports Funding to Prevent Bullying in Schools: April 26, 2010 (CHICAGO) (WLS) -- Students, teachers and lawmakers say more money is needed to fight bullying, which has expanded in recent years from the schoolyard to the Internet. Click here for more.
IPS Executive Director, Meryl Sosa, JD, spoke at a press conference involving this subject which was aired on ABC 7 news. Click here to watch the press conferece.
Telepsychiatry: In 2007, IPS successfully introduced, in conjunction with the Illinois Hospital Association and NAMI, a bill that requires Medicaid to pay for telepsychiatry. This initiative was passed as a way to improve access to psychiatric care in rural and underserved areas in Illinois. Click Here for more information.
Eating Disorders: In 2007, IPS supported Representative Fred Crespo’s bill that sought to add Eating Disorders to the list of mental illnesses covered by the Illinois parity law. Working closely with Rep. Crespo, this bill finally passed in September 2008! IPS feels that this will help our patients by requiring companies that have health insurance for over 50 people to cover 60 visits and 45 days of in-patient treatment per year for patients with Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia. Click Here for more information.
Prison Medicaid Bill: UPDATE - 1/22/2010
Illinois Psychiatric Society Praises Gov. Quinn for Signing Prison Medicaid Bill - IPS is pleased to announce that after two years of very hard work by IPS members, the Prison Medicaid Bill has been signed into law by Governor Quinn. This law will help limit recidivism by allowing offenders who relied on Medicaid benefits when they entered prison to have their benefits reinstated immediately upon release. Click Here for more information.
Modification of the Illinois Controlled Substance Act: IPS worked with Representative Sara Feigenholz to get this bill passed. The bill eliminated the seven day expiration period for Schedule II controlled substances. This bill allowed Illinois to be in compliance with federal law. Now, the law provides allows prescriptions for Schedule II controlled substances to be filled within 90 days of the date of issuance. This will be very helpful to Child and Adolescent psychiatrists who will be able to provide 3 months worth of prescriptions for their patients. This will benefit patients because they will no longer have to visit their psychiatrist on a monthly basis simply to obtain a prescription. IPS very much appreciates the support of Children’s Memorial Hospital of this bill.
Psychologist Prescribing Bill: UPDATE: Great News! The IPS Leadership is pleased to announce that the Psychologist Prescribing Bill has once again been soundly defeated. After assurances by the leadership of the Illinois Psychological Association that they would not push the bill this year, the bill was introduced and then sent to the House Health Care Licenses Committee. The bill was not even called for a vote due to the fact that the psychologists did not have even one vote in favor of the bill. The bill was sent back to the Rules Committee on March 15, 2010. The Sponsor of the bill, and an ardent supporter of psychology prescribing, Rep. William Black will be retiring this year. However, IPS anticipates that since this is a priority of the American Psychological Association, that another psychologist prescribing bill will be introduced next year with a new sponsor. Illinois is a targeted state and, therefore, IPS must be extremely vigilant to ensure that the bill does not make any headway in the legislature.
IPS will continue to work with its partners, the Illinois State Medical Society, the Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Illinois Association of Family Practitioners, and the Illinois Chapter of the American Osteopathic Association to prevent passage of any psychologist prescribing bill. IPS would also like to thank its lobbyists, John Potts and Molly Rockford, for all of their hard work in preventing the Bill from having even one vote on the Committee. IPS is very fortunate to have such talented lobbyists in its corner. Finally, IPS would like to thank IPS President Lisa A. Rone, MD and Chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee Ken Busch, MD for their time and dedication to helping ensure that the psychologist prescribing bill did not make any progress this year
General Information: This bill is a perennial favorite for the Illinois Psychological Association which has introduced the bill in the Illinois State legislature in each of the following years: 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, and 2009. The bill, as introduced in Illinois, would allow “medical” psychologists to prescribe any medication once the clinical psychologist has completed 300 didactic hours of training, and a clinical practicum involving 100 patients under the supervision of a designated qualified practitioner which could be a nurse practitioner who themselves require a collaborative relationship with a physician to prescribe. So far, none of the Psychologist Prescribing bills have been voted out of the legislative committee to which they have been assigned. For example, in 2009, HB 527, introduced by Representative William Black (R-Danville), was sent to the House Committee on Healthcare Licenses. The Committee never voted on the bill after the hearing; therefore, at the end of the legislative session the bill was “re-referred” to the House Rules Committee for failure to be referred out of Committee.
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