Standing Orders Bill Signed into Law

Today, Governor Hochul signed the Non-Patient-Specific Orders bill# A6030C-Paulin/S6886-Rivera into law!  NYONL has lobbied for passage of this bill through several legislative sessions.

The bill will allow an RN to implement a standing order under the direction of an attending practitioner, in the absence of a patient-specific order, when clinically appropriate and consistent with the standing order, hospital policies and applicable regulations.

Examples of procedures specified in the bill, that RNs will be able to administer include but are not limited to:

• administering electrocardiogram tests to detect signs and symptoms of acute coronary syndrome;
• administering point-of-care blood glucose tests to evaluate acute mental status changes in persons with suspected hypoglycemia;
• administering tests and intravenous lines to persons that meet severe sepsis and septic shock criteria;
• administering tests to determine pregnancy.

Not only does this facilitate patient care delivery, it also allows the RN to practice to the top of licensure and education, by easing practice regulations. Further, standing orders relieve moral distress on the part of RNs, allowing them to do what they know needs to be done to facilitate care and optimize patient safety.

We commend the legislature and the Governor for passage of this important legislation!