2020 Colorado Revised Statutes
Title 12 - Professions And Occupations
Article 30. Provisions Applicable to Health Care Professions and Occupations
Section 12-30-105. Nurse-physician advisory task force for Colorado health care - creation duties - definition - repeal.

(1) There is hereby created, within the division, the nurse-physician advisory task force for Colorado health care, referred to in this section as "NPATCH". The purpose of the NPATCH is to promote public safety and improve health care in Colorado by supporting collaboration and communication between the practices of nursing and medicine. The NPATCH shall:

1. Promote patient safety and quality care;

2. Address issues of mutual concern at the interface of the practices of nursing andmedicine;

3. Inform public policy-making; and

4. Make consensus recommendations to policy-making and rule-making entities, including recommendations to the executive director.

2. (a) The NPATCH consists of twelve members appointed as follows:

(I) One member of the state board of nursing, appointed by the president of the board; (II) One member of the Colorado medical board, appointed by the president of the board; (III) Ten members appointed by the governor as follows:

1. Three members recommended by and representing a statewide professional nursingorganization;

2. Three licensed physicians recommended by and representing a statewide physicians'organization that represents multi-specialty physicians and whose membership includes at least one-third of the doctors of medicine and osteopathy licensed in the state;

3. One member representing the nursing community who may or may not be a memberof a statewide professional nursing organization;

4. One member representing the physician community who may or may not be a member of a statewide physicians' organization; and (E) Two members representing consumers.

(b) The members of the NPATCH shall serve on a voluntary basis without compensation and shall serve three-year terms; except that, in order to ensure staggered terms of office, four of the initial appointees shall serve initial one-year terms and four of the initial appointees shall serve initial two-year terms.

3. (a) Except as provided in subsection (3)(b) of this section, the NPATCH may develop its own bylaws and procedures to govern its operations.

(b) A recommendation of the NPATCH requires the consensus of the members of the task force. For purposes of this section, "consensus" means an agreement, decision, or recommendation that all members of the task force can actively support and that no member actively opposes.

4. The division shall staff the NPATCH. The division's costs for administering andstaffing the NPATCH shall be funded by an increase in fees for professional and advanced practice nursing and medical license renewal fees, as authorized in sections 12-240-130 and 12255-107 (1)(b)(I), with fifty percent of the funding derived from the physician license renewal fees and fifty percent derived from the professional and advanced practice registered nursing fees.

5. The NPATCH shall prioritize consideration of and make recommendations on thefollowing topics:

(a) and (b) Repealed.

3. Quality assurance mechanisms for all medication prescribers;

4. Evidence-based guidelines;

5. Decision support tools;

6. Safe prescribing metrics for all medication prescribers;

7. Methods to foster effective communication between health professions;

8. Health care delivery system integration and related improvements;

9. Physician standards, process, and metrics to ensure appropriate consultation, collaboration, and referral regarding advanced practice registered nurse prescriptive authority; and

10. Prescribing issues regarding providers other than physicians and advanced practiceregistered nurses.

6. The NPATCH shall make recommendations pursuant to this section to the executivedirector.

7. This section is repealed, effective September 1, 2027. Before the repeal, the functions of the NPATCH are scheduled for review in accordance with section 2-3-1203.

Source: L. 2019: Entire title R&RE with relocations, (HB 19-1172), ch. 136, p. 767, § 1, effective October 1. L. 2020: (2)(a)(III)(B) and (7) amended, (HB 20-1209), ch. 189, p. 863, § 2, effective June 30; (1)(d) amended and (5)(a) and (5)(b) repealed, (HB 20-1216), ch. 190, p. 880, § 27, effective July 1.

Editor's note: This section is similar to former § 24-34-109 as it existed prior to 2019.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration in HB 20-1216, see section 1 of chapter 190, Session Laws of Colorado 2020.