With the rules being finalized by the Texas Medical Board, the new law governing the delegation and supervision of prescribing privileges for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants went into effect Nov. 1.
The new law — passed as Senate Bill 406 by Sen. Jane Nelson (R-Flower Mound) and Rep. Lois Kolkhorst (R-Brenham) — replaces the site-based regulatory structure with a more collaborative model based on periodic quality assurance reviews and a new prescription authority agreement (PAA).
The law does not stipulate a specific form for the PAA, but TMA has developed a sample template for physicians to use. Accompanying the sample PAA is a fact sheet summarizing the details of the law.
SB 406 was passed with support from TMA, the Texas Academy of Family Physicians, the Texas Association of Physician Assistants, and the various groups representing APRNs. The new law reinforces the importance of physician-led medical care teams, recognizes the skills all practitioners bring to patient care, and allows the delegating/supervising physician greater flexibility in tailoring the PAA to his or her practice.
Nonphysician Practitioners 2nd Ed. is now available!
This second edition includes a framework of delegation and supervision of prescriptive authority to APRNs and PAs created during the 83rd legislative session. Click here to order the publication.
TMA Practice E-Tips main page