Nurse practitioners and physician assistants in Florida will soon be able to write prescriptions for controlled substances, according to a Forbes report.
Beginning in 2017 physician assistants and nurse practitioners will be able to prescribe controlled substances in Florida. Here are five key notes:
1. Florida is the 49th state to allow PAs to prescribe the controlled substances; Kentucky is now the only state that does not.
2. Florida is the last state to allow NPs to prescribe controlled substances; all other states give NPs that ability.
3. The legislation officially takes effect July 1, 2016 but the practitioners will need to go through the Drug Enforcement Administration's procedural policies first.
4. There are around 25,000 NPs and PAs in Florida. Their new abilities could make a huge impact on the elderly population, especially in the rural areas.
5. The PAs and NPs can work in physician offices, retail clinics and other locations.
