While nurse protocol agreements in Georgia are most often associated with the medical field, their implications can sometimes reach into the realms of family law. For Atlanta divorce lawyers like Scott L. Levine, this intersection is important to recognize as it can affect client outcomes both in terms of the divorce process as well as in post-divorce modifications and contempt issues. As a client-focused practitioner, I aim to provide insights of value to clients, regardless of the nature of the health care agreement.
For those not familiar with the term, a nurse protocol agreement is an arrangement wherein a physician delegates clinical responsibility to a registered nurse. The agreement covers a host of issues such as who can prescribe medication and under what circumstances. It may also encompass tasks the nurse will provide, such as primary care or triage.
In some healthcare systems, having such an agreement in place allows a physician to offload patients to a nurse. By doing this, the physician can see more patients. Nurses with an appropriate nurse protocol agreement Georgia can make certain decisions on behalf of a physician. In fact, it may be common for such agreements to be relied upon in procuring referrals, particularly in protocols aimed at offloading some of the physician’s duties.
In recent years, an increasing number of physician practices have come to rely on nurse protocol agreements Georgia to allow nurses to perform more of the duties of a physician. As physicians seek to see more patients and make more revenue, nurse protocol agreements help them accomplish their goals. For entering families, agreements between physicians and nurses can affect healthcare decisions.
In recognition of the central role nurse protocol agreements have begun to play in the healthcare system, the Georgia legislature passed O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25.1, which governs protocol practice by nurses, including details such as the delegation of specific tasks. Protocols that were agreed to before July 1, 2006 are not governed by this law. Of primary importance to Atlanta divorce lawyers such as Scott L. Levine is the fact that the law requires the physician and the nurse to collaborate to “develop a plan for the provision of health care services.” Equally as crucial is the fact that the law further requires the nurse to “perform clinical services in accordance with the delegating physician’s order, the delegation agreement, and established written protocols.”
While not exclusively related to family law, the law does allow for some latitude when it comes to decision making. What’s more, the law allows physicians to delegate certain decisions to a nurse but requires the nurse to make decisions only with the “delegating physician’s knowledge.”
From the perspective of an Atlanta divorce lawyer, it is normally important to examine all aspects of a family’s life, even if this includes some fairly obscure documents. On the surface, it may be normal for a physician to delegate certain tasks to a nurse. Since these agreements usually become permanent, however, the longer a nurse protocol agreement remains in place, the more challenges an Atlanta divorce lawyer or a judge may face. To illustrate this point, we can use a hypothetical to demonstrate how a nurse protocol agreement Georgia might affect a family law case.
Let us assume there is a mother named Megan who recently divorced her husband Mark. As part of the divorce, the two agreed to joint parenting of their son Jeff, who suffers from multiple health problems. In order to manage Jeff’s problems, Megan had a nurse protocol agreement with their family physician. Since the divorce agreement indicated that Mark and Megan would consult with each other regarding all healthcare issues, Mark and Megan were able to easily agree on most issues.
Lately, though, Mark has become increasingly concerned about nurses and doctors Kevin’s treatment. Citing his knowledge of Jeff’s health issues, Kevin has begun to doubt less critical issues. Megan felt that Kevin was becoming overly protective of Jeff. At times, Mark and Megan disagreed. As the months wore on, Mark’s concerns grew. On multiple occasions, Mark told Megan that he would take Jeff to another doctor if they could not agree.
In this case and others like it, nurses play an essential role in making healthcare decisions. While some of the decisions may be what we refer to as “routine,” others are much more serious. Given the stakes, an Atlanta divorce lawyer would need to address the matter with sensitivity. That said, however, an Atlanta divorce lawyer would probably want to probe the issue deeply. In some cases, Kevin may be making the right call. In others, his expertise may not be as vast as Megan and Mark may have assumed.
The fact that nurses have become indispensable in the modern form of divorce litigation, whether Georgia divorce of an out of state divorce, could not be more obvious.
On the whole, Georgia nurses operate much as those in other states. While Georgia has some unique laws, the role they play is relatively uniform across the spectrum. As with any family law matter, it is of utmost importance to receive advice only from qualified counsel. Questions regarding sensitive medical issues can have far-reaching consequences, so it’s important to receive a second opinion.
For more information on healthcare regulations, you can visit CDC.gov.
