VIRTUAL LOBBY DAYS WEEK FOUR
Posted over 8 years ago by Regina Pommer
Dear Member,
FNPN is participating in a coordinated weekly Virtual Lobby Day project with the other advanced practice nursing associations in the Florida Coalition of Advanced Practice Nurses. Your involvement is imperative in order to make this a success. Each week you will be receiving an email with a prepared message. Please take a few minutes to send the communication to your legislators. Please try to send on Wednesdays if possible, but if you miss Wednesday, send it out as soon as you can.
By working together with all the advanced practice nursing associations and speaking with one voice we can have a successful campaign!
Thank you in advance for your participation.
Links to finding your legislators:
Click Here for House of representatives address to find representatives
THE GOAL FOR WEEK 4 OF VIRTUAL LOBBY DAYS : Educating Legislators about Prescriptive Authority for Advanced Practice Nurses
Sign The Petition:
Please take a moment to sign the petition target at key legislators: CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE PETITION
Telephone Message:
Please call, write or email your Legislators and tell them the following:
Email Message:
Dear Representative or Senator ____________________________,
My name is ___________________________________. I wanted to share with you some important information regarding Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners (ARNP's). With the following information in mind I am asking you to support SB 0210, SB 152 - Ordering of Medications and/or HB 423: Prescription by Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners and Physicians Assistants.
Prescriptive Authority
The extent of a nurse practitioner's prescriptive authority is regulated by each individual state.[1] The Institutes of Medicine practice recommendation is for states to grant Nurse Practitioners (NPs) full prescriptive authority.[2] While all other states have presciently heeded the IOM's recommendations, Florida has yet to grant DEA prescribing to its Nurse Practitioners.
Legend Drugs and Drug Enforcement Agency Regulated Drugs
A legend drug is a medication that requires a prescription from a licensed and approved medical practitioner. A Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) regulated drug also requires a prescription but only a practitioner with a DEA license may prescribe these medications. These drugs may be habit forming.
Safety Issues
There is scientific data to suggest that full prescriptive authority for NPs does not adversely impact patient safety. In a study comparing malpractice claims between physicians and NPs in states with full prescribing authority for both legend and DEA regulated drugs, NPs had statistically significant lower malpractice rates than physicians in those state
DEA Regulated Medications: Not Just for Pain Relief
Many medications that are regulated by the DEA are used for purposes other than pain relief. These medications are often the standard of care for patients with certain diagnosis. These medications include: psychiatric medications, cough suppressants, testosterone for hormonal deficiency, diarrhea medication, Migraine medication, diabetic neuropathy medication, seizure medication and pain medications.
Patient Access Limited by Current Florida State DEA Laws: Costs Driven Up
Because Florida NPs are prohibited from prescribing DEA scheduled drugs, care can be delayed unnecessarily when patients must wait for the NP to obtain the DEA controlled prescription from the physician. In some cases, patients are sent to the emergency room when the need for these medications is urgent, These practices drive up costs to consumers, insurance companies and the state Medicaid and Medicare programs.
Diversion Issues
Recent U Miami Study shows an actual decrease in prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines when ARNPs are allowed to independently prescribe DEA medications. Florida instituted a prescription drug monitoring program in 2011 to track diversion of DEA regulated drugs. Since implementing this system "doctor shopping" and medication diversion has been significantly reduced. [3] All prescribers of DEA regulated medications are required to register with Florida's reporting system, this would include Nurse Practitioners. Research by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing show that diversion rates nationwide for Nurse Practitioners is less then 0.01 percent. This is comparable to physicians.[4]
Florida Can No Longer Afford Outdated Laws
With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the nationwide physician shortage, the need to have an adequate number of high quality primary care providers is urgent. Florida is wasting money maintaining outdated DEA laws. Nurse Practitioners are nationally certified to provide the safe quality care Florida needs, including safe prescribing of DEA regulated medications. The time to change is now.
[1] Nurse Practitioner Prescriptive Authority (n.d.) Georgetown University. Retrieved from http://nursinglicensemap.com/advanced-practice-nursing/nurse-practitioner/nurse-practitioner-prescriptive-authority
[2] Institutes of Medicine (2010) The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.
[3] E-FORCSE,(2012) Florida's Prescription Drug Monitoring Program 2011-2012 prescription drug monitoring report. Retrieved from http://www.eforcse.com/docs/2012AnnualReport.pdf
[4] Hayden, J. (2011) APRN Practice Autonomy, Prescribing Authority and Board Disciplinary Actions: Results of the NCSBN Study.