Why Be a Member of the NJSPS? Advocacy, Advocacy, Advocacy
NJSPS is the advocacy voice for all Board Certified plastic surgeons in New Jersey. Your membership in NJSPS and contributions to the NJSPS PAC allow your voice to be heard in Trenton and have a direct impact on legislation and policies affecting our specialty, practices, and patients.
Here are some key issues and accomplishments to highlight our successes and hopefully encourage you to support NJSPS and contribute to the state NJSPS PAC.
In 2020, NJSPS was instrumental throughout the COVID shutdowns to get elective surgeries back on schedule at hospitals and surgery centers across the state. NJSPS worked tirelessly with Dr. Steve Fallek, NJSPS 2020/2021 president, by advocating with the Commissioner of Health and the Governor’s office to lift the restrictions on elective surgeries by May of 2020. Without NJSPS’ advocacy and education of policymakers, elective plastic surgeries may have been singled out to remain shut down. Dr. Fallek was an excellent representative during this challenging year and helped facilitate coalition with other ASPS state chapters in establishing the Northeast COVID-19 Task Force to share information and coordinate our advocacy efforts.
Truth in Advertising, one of NJSPS’ top legislative priorities over the years, was also signed into law in New Jersey in the Fall of 2020. COVID helped bring to light the confusion experienced by patients with an increasing number of non-physicians using the title “Doctor” without specifying their actual professional license and the use of “Board Certified” without any standard in place with the BME. New Jersey is one of very few states that has passed this legislation, and we continue our work to highlight misrepresentations and violations of this law with the Office of the Attorney General and BME.
In 2021, NJSPS met a new challenge with legislation introduced requiring a New Jersey specific informed consent for breast implant illness, like legislation in Arizona, California, and Washington. NJSPS and Dr. Joanna Partridge, NJSPS 2021/2022 president, worked with the sponsors, health committee chairs, patient advocates, and the ASPS state advocacy team to educate New Jersey stakeholders on the FDA updates to manufacturer informed consent to ensure this legislation would not move forward.
In 2022, NJSPS with a new 2-year legislative session starting, legislation authorizing independent practice for advanced practice nurses (APN) became re-energized as a top priority for the NJ State Nurses Association and nurse anesthetists. Specific to plastic surgeons, New Jersey saw an increase in the number of aesthetic practices opened by APNs without a collaborating physician under the COVID Executive Order that remains in place despite active lobbying from NJSPS and every physician specialty in the state. NJSPS continues to work with our Access to Care Coalition, made up of 18 physician specialties, to address scope of APN practice expansion into the practice of medicine. Dr. Colin Failey, as NJSPS 2022/2023 president, spent a great deal of time educating policymakers on the importance of oversight and supervision of non-physicians in plastic surgery practices, med spas, and other aesthetic practices.
Now in 2023, as we approach the final lame duck months of this 2-year legislative session, NJSPS advocacy with Dr. Adam Hamawy, NJSPS 2023/2024 president, has been successful in stopping the APN legislation from advancing. We are expecting one final push for the APN independent practice with no limit on specialty, as well as scope expansions for midwives and authorization for laser surgery and other surgery around the eye for optometrists. In 2023, we saw the NJ Attorney General focused more on stopping the unlicensed practice of medicine. Most recently a cosmetologist performing invasive aesthetic treatments was cited and fined by the state.
NJSPS has also shared with the AG various advertisements for APN-only practices offering mobile Botox units, aesthetic services, and laser weight loss treatments and medications.
Without NJSPS, advocacy policymakers would not have the opportunity to gain the insight and expertise of Board Certified plastic surgeons practicing in New Jersey. NJSPS is listened to and respected, but we need you to continue with your members and make an annual contribution to the PAC to support this great work.
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