From WisPolitics.com/WisBusiness.com …
— Legislation from Republican authors would curtail non-compete agreements for certain health care workers.
Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara of Appleton and Rep. Adam Neylon of Pewaukee recently began circulating a co-sponsorship memo for their legislation. They argue that restricting health care workers’ ability to practice “directly harms patients” by disrupting continuity of care and limiting provider choice.
“When a doctor or nurse is forced by a non-compete to relocate or wait months before working near their former practice, this creates immediate gaps in treatment, which are most devastating in rural and underserved areas, where the sudden loss of a specialist can instantly create a severe ‘care desert,’” they wrote.
Bill authors argue non-competes in health care can also deter medical professionals from moving to Wisconsin, worsening labor shortage concerns.
Under the bill, a non-compete clause that restricts working as a medical professional for more than 24 consecutive months after starting with the employer imposing the restriction would be deemed “illegal, void, and unenforceable,” according to the Legislative Reference Bureau. The same determination would be made for non-competes in cases where the health care worker is fired, LRB says.
These changes would apply to advanced practice registered nurses, advanced practice nurse prescribers, physicians, physician assistants and psychologists.
The memo notes the state already prevents lawyers from entering most non-compete agreements, referencing the Wisconsin Rules of Professional Conduct that prioritizes the “preeminent right” of clients to choose the lawyers that represent them.
“This standard demonstrates the state’s recognition that in professions where the public’s right to choice and access to essential services outweighs an employer’s interest in restricting practice, professional mobility must be protected,” authors wrote. “The same logic compellingly applies — and is arguably even more vital — in the context of patient care and public health.”
The co-sponsorship deadline is 3 p.m. Thursday.
See the bill text.
— Nearly two-dozen representatives of Japanese companies will be in Wisconsin this week as part of an organized visit focused on the biohealth sector.
WEDC yesterday announced the delegates from 19 Japanese businesses represent medical device manufacturers, R&D organizations, health care startups and more. Participants will join a business matching and networking program, and delegates will visit Exact Sciences, Promega, GE HealthCare, the UW School of Medicine and Public Health and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
The visit, taking place tomorrow through Friday, was organized by the Japan External Trade Organization, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. and the Japan America Society of Wisconsin.
See more details in the release below.
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