Rep. Bennett introduces bills
to improve health care system

 

STATE HOUSE – As a registered nurse, Rep. David Bennett (D-Dist. 20, Warwick) has seen what happens when health care providers are short staffed. “You want to provide the care your patients deserve,” Representative Bennett said, “but sometimes you just can’t if you don’t have the people.”

Dr. Franklin Mirrer knows this struggle first hand. As one of the state’s last remaining independent orthopedic surgeons, Dr. Mirrer has struggled to find staff to work as a first assist with surgeries.

“Trying to do a surgery without a first assist is very difficult. Some surgeries I just won’t do without a first assistant and I would hate to not offer those surgeries anymore to my patients,” he said. 

Under current state law, only a registered nurse or a physician’s assistant can work as a first assist. But with a national health care worker shortage, Dr. Mirrer was struggling to find someone. Other states, including Massachusetts, allow surgical techs who obtain additional training as a certified surgical first assistant to work independently with physicians as first assists. Rhode Island does not recognize this licensure. Dr. Mirrer has trained a surgical tech with that nationally recognized first assist licensure, but the tech is not legally allowed to fulfill this role in Rhode Island.

Representative Bennett hopes to change this with new legislation (2023 H-5014) that would create a state license for surgical assistant first assists. That, advocates say, would help surgeons throughout the state struggling with short staffing.

“This is a no-brainer,” Representative Bennett said. “We have people who are trained to do the work and are certified to do the work. The state should let them do it.”

Dr. Mirrer, who currently works out of Roger Williams Medical Center, said he will likely have to move his practice to Massachusetts if something doesn’t change. “I love serving the people of Rhode Island, but I can’t keep this up,” he said.

Representative Bennett is also sponsoring legislation that would limit physical therapy copays. The bill (2023 H-5012) prohibits insurance plans from charging higher copays for physical therapy than they charge for other services. This, advocates hope, will encourage patients to finish their physical therapy and avoid reinjury, which slows recovery and costs more in the long run.

“Physical therapy copays can be $50, $75, $100,” Representative Bennett said. “I’ve seen patients who need physical therapy stop going because they can’t afford it. Then they reinjure and are right back where they started, costing everyone time and resources. This bill will help.”

“This is the value of having a registered nurse at the State House,” Dr. Mirrer said. “Representative Bennett understands the health care system and the struggles we face first hand. I’m grateful for his advocacy.”

 

 

 

The White House says it's unacceptable for members of Congress to say there's nothing they can do to curb gun violence following Monday's deadly school shooting in Nashville. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Wednesday called on Republicans to, as she put it, "show some courage" and pass an assault weapons ban. She argued that a ban that was in effect from 1994 to 2004 saved lives.        The Vatican says Pope Francis spent a peaceful night in a Rome hospital being treated for a respiratory infection. A Vatican spokesman says the 86-year-old pope was hospitalized on Wednesday after complaining of breathing difficulties.        An investigation is underway after two military helicopters crashed Wednesday night in Trigg County, Kentucky. Officials say it happened around 10 p.m. during a routine training mission near Fort Campbell. There's no word on the status of those onboard the Blackhawk choppers.        An American journalist reportedly is under arrest on spying charges in Russia. State-run Russian news agencies are reporting that authorities detained Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich in a Ural [[ YER-ul ]] Mountains city about 900 miles east of Moscow. The country's main security agency says Gershkovich is being held on suspicion of "espionage in the interests of the American government."        Elon Musk has the most followers on Twitter. Guinness World Records says the Twitter CEO now has more than 133-million followers, passing former President Barack Obama, who had held the record since 2020.        "Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves" is projected to bank between 30 and 40-million-dollars in its opening weekend at the North American box office. The film stars Chris Pine, Michelle Rodriguez, Sophia Lillis, Justice Smith, and Hugh Grant.