Bill on nurses, prescriptions halted

Like its Senate counterpart last week, a House committee Tuesday rejected a bill that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to prescribe drugs without an agreement with a physician.

Supporters of Senate Bill 189 and House Bill 1282 say the legislation would give Arkansans more access to primary care, especially in rural areas.

Physicians and their advocates disputed that, and they argued that the bills would hurt the quality of patients’ care.

With the 20 members of the House Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor evenly split, HB1282, sponsored by Rep. Robin Lundstrum, R-Elm Springs, on Tuesday fell one vote short of the 11 it needed to advance to the full House.

On Thursday, SB189 fell two votes short of the five it needed to clear the Senate Committee on Public Health, Welfare and Labor.

An advanced practice registered nurse must complete a master’s degree in nursing and obtain certification from a national organization.

Arkansas Code 17-87-310 allows the nurses to prescribe drugs if they have a “collaborative practice agreement” with a physician and are granted a certificate of prescriptive authority by the Arkansas State Board of Nursing.

The House committee did advance one bill Tuesday that would expand the nurses’ prescription authority.

House Bill 1267 would allow the nurses to prescribe up to a five-day supply of opioids, such as those classified by the federal government as Schedule II controlled substances, meaning the drugs have a medical purpose but also a high potential for abuse.

The nurses could also prescribe Schedule II stimulants, such as Adderall or Ritalin, if the prescription was initiated by a physician who had evaluated the patient within the previous six months.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Justin Gonzales of Okolona, said the language resulted from a compromise with the Arkansas Medical Society, which represents physicians, and fellow Republican Rep. Lee Johnson, a physician who lives in Greenwood.

Before an amendment that was added Tuesday, the bill would have allowed advanced practice nurses who have practiced for about a year to prescribe Schedule II drugs without the limitations.

“I’m not completely happy with it. I don’t think the Medical Society is completely happy with it, so I guess that makes it a good bill,” Gonzales said.