Two bills recently proposed in the Missouri Legislature would give advanced practice nurses more independence by loosening physician supervision, according to an STL Today report.
Currently, advanced nurses in the state are required to have a collaborative agreement with a physician who regularly reviews patient charts and prescriptions — an arrangement that some nurses feel limits how they are able to treat patients.The bills would grant advanced nurses the ability to prescribe controlled substances without a physician's permission and allow physicians to enter collaborative agreements with more than three advanced nurses.
Physicians' groups have opposed the legislation, expressing concern that advanced nurses may not be qualified to prescribe pain medication without physician oversight.
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