One of the biggest problems faced by the medical community in the United States is the shortage of doctors, particularly primary care physicians. One of the innovations to solve that bottleneck has been the increased use of physician assistants and nurse practitioners who can ease many of the burdens of a doctor by treating patients whose problems are not severe or are of a routine variety. Now Florida has finally joined almost every other state in allowing PA’s and NP’s the right to prescribe controlled substances that, up until now, had required a doctor’s signature. This will allow greater flexibility for patients and medical providers alike as doctors no longer have to as involved in the diagnosis process which can extend the time it takes to get medication. However, it will likely take a year or more for the full benefits of the new law to have any impact since PA’s and NP’s must now go through the FDA approval process as well as attending special training. But, in any case, this is a step in the right direction which should greatly improve the quality of the state’s medical system.
See Bruce Japsen, Nurse Practitioners And Physician Assistants Win Prescribing Authority Milestone, Forbes, April 15, 2016.
Special thanks to Brian Cohan (Attorney at Law, Law Offices of Brian J. Cohan, P.C.) for bringing this article to my attention.
