SENATE BILL REPORT

SHB 2451

BYHouse Committee on Health Care (originally sponsored by Representatives Prentice, D. Sommers, Sprenkle, Rayburn, Ferguson, Day, Moyer, Rector, P. King, Wang, Spanel and Brekke)

Authorizing advanced registered nurse practitioners to prescribe certain drugs.

House Committe on Health Care

Senate Committee on Health & Long-Term Care

Senate Hearing Date(s):February 15, 1990

Senate Staff:Greg Miller (786-7784)

AS OF FEBRUARY 14, 1990

BACKGROUND:

The Board of Nursing may grant a license to an advanced registered nurse practitioner with prescriptive authority for Schedule V controlled substances, which are drugs with the lowest addictive properties.  The nurse practitioner must be credentialed with at least 30 hours of training in pharmacology initially, and additionally with 15 hours every two years in connection with license renewal.

Nurses may not otherwise prescribe controlled substances.

Controlled substances are those drugs specified by law with addictive properties according to levels of addiction categorized within schedules.  Schedule I includes drugs with the highest potential for abuse and no acceptable medical use and used primarily in research.  Schedule II includes drugs with a high potential for abuse.  Schedule III includes drugs with a lower potential for abuse that may lead to moderate physical dependency but high psychological dependency.  Schedule IV includes drugs with low potential for abuse that may lead to limited physical and psychological dependency.  The drugs on schedules II through IV have acceptable medical uses.

SUMMARY:

The Board of Nursing is authorized to regulate by rule the prescriptive privileges for advanced registered nurse practitioners who may prescribe controlled substances on schedules II through V.  The board shall require continuing education as a condition of prescriptive authority, conduct audits, and develop a monitoring system in consultation with the Board of Pharmacy.

Dispensing of these controlled substances is limited to emergency situations and to a 72- hour supply.

The board is required to develop a monitoring system, in consultation with the Board of Pharmacy and Board of Medical Examiners, and conduct random audits, via the use of triplicate prescription forms.

This prescriptive authority continues through June 1994, and the board is required to report in January 1994 to the health care committees of the House of Representatives and Senate with the results of the random audits and monitoring system.

Appropriation:    none

Revenue:    none

Fiscal Note:      requested February 9, 1990