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Monday, November 13, 2006
Ind. Law - "Hoosier laws limit physician assistants"
"Hoosier laws limit physician assistants: Indiana is the only state where they’re not authorized to write prescriptions" is the headline to a story by Jennifer L. Boen in the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel. The story begins:
Forty-nine states, plus the District of Columbia, permit physician assistants to write prescriptions. Indiana is the lone exception.A second story by Boen is headed "State’s doctors divided on PAs prescribing: They voted against it at a September convention." It begins:Some say the reason they’re not allowed to in Indiana is turf wars between doctors and what are referred to as “midlevel” health-care providers. Others say it’s just another example of Indiana being behind the times.
Whatever the reasons, the more than 600 PAs practicing in the state hope changes to the current regulations will be made in the 2007 General Assembly.
Six times legislation was introduced that would grant prescriptive rights to PAs, who must work under direct supervision by a li-censed physician.
“We do not practice independently. That is the basis of the profession. We are not seeking to practice on our own,” said Toby Brower, president of the Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants. But they do seek changes to PA licensing laws that would allow the supervising doctor to delegate, as needed, prescription writing to the PA.
An ongoing debate exists on why nurse practitioners can write prescriptions, but, in Indiana – and only in Indiana – similarly prepared physician assistants cannot.Applicants to the University of Saint Francis Physician Assistant program, one of two PA programs in the state, must have: a bachelor’s degree, at least three years of clinical experience, 12 hours of chemistry, 15 hours of biology and six hours of psychology.
Once admitted to the PA program, among the required courses are organic and biochemistry and about 80 hours of pharmacology. Then they must pass the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants Exam.
Nurse practitioners must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing before going into a master’s-level nurse practitioner program. After graduation, they have autonomy to prescribe medications.
“That law was written before PAs were in the state,” said Jerry Parsons, a PA at RediMed who also serves on the board of the Indiana Academy of Physician Assistants, which hopes to gain prescriptive rights.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on November 13, 2006 12:32 PM
Posted to Indiana Law