Posted
04/22/08
ISAPN Boot Camp on April 26th has been CANCELED.
Posted
04/15/08
ISAPN Call for Nominations
We are calling for nominations for various positions, choose a position that fits your area of interest and requires the commitment level you are able to give!
Click here for more information and available positions.
Click here for Nomination Form.
Click here for Consent for Nomination Form.
Posted
03/11/08
2008 Midwestern APN Conference Call for Sessions
Click Here for Information on how to participate.
Posted
01/08/08
ISAPN Offers New Membership Benefit
ISAPN Member Rewards Introduces…
Epocrates® Software Discounts
ISAPN members qualify for at least a 25% discount. ISAPN student members will receive a 35% discount.
Click here to view the Epocrates® website and select your products. Once you place your items in the shopping cart, you will be able to enter your ISAPN discount code.
Click here to view the Epocrates® brochure.
Contact ISAPN at info@isapn.org for your discount code.
Hurry. Offer valid until December 31, 2008.
Posted
05/08/08
Notice for APNs who bill Medicaid/Illinois Health Connect
More information
FAQs
Posted
11/16/07
Should nurse practitioners be able to prescribe controlled drugs in Missouri?
Wednesday, Oct. 31 2007
With a shortage of physicians, nurse practitioners can help fill the void.
Terry McQuaide, advanced nurse practitioner, Esse Health
As an advanced nurse practitioner with offices in Illinois and Missouri, I have
a unique perspective. My Illinois patients receive more efficient care for
issues such as bronchitis and acute back pain based on that state's law
regarding prescribing authority.
It is well established that care coordinated by a primary care physician or
nurse practitioner is higher quality and less costly for the patient and the
insurer. There is a shortage of primary care physicians, and nurse
practitioners are part of the solution to increase access to quality care. I
work in collaboration with a physician to manage all aspects of care for
hundreds of patients with chronic and acute illnesses.
It should be emphasized that restrictions are in place to curb abuse of
narcotics — not because nurse practitioners do not have the skills to
prescribe. In fact, nurse practitioners have in-depth training in pharmacology
and are scrutinized, as are physicians, to ensure appropriate protocols are
followed when prescribing any medication.
To put this in perspective: treatment for bronchitis can include cough syrup
with codeine, and back pain may require a pain medication. In Illinois, after
examination and diagnosis, I can write these prescriptions. In Missouri, I need
to delay the patient and interrupt the physician to have him prescribe the
medications. This creates unnecessary delays and may require extra trips for
the patient.
Allowing nurse practitioners to practice fully in partnership with physicians
will benefit patients by increasing access to quality care with no negative
impact in quality or safety.
Restrictions to nurse practitioners writing prescriptions hurts health care.
Karen Kelly, associate professor and coordinator, Continuing Education at the
School of Nursing, SIU Edwardsville
In 47 states, including Illinois, nurse practitioners are licensed under the
states' nurse practice acts to prescribe scheduled drugs. Illinois advanced
practice nurses gained prescriptive privileges for schedule III-V drugs in
1998. In Illinois, the Nurse Practice Act "sunsets" every 10 years and must be
reviewed and renewed by the Illinois General Assembly.
The 2007 Illinois Nurse Practice Act, a product of the most recent "sunset,"
includes expansion of the prescriptive privileges of advanced practice nurses
to include schedule II drugs, for example Ritalin or narcotic pain medications
such as Demerol and Darvon. According to the American Academy of Nurse
Practitioners, only Missouri, Alabama, and Florida do not grant advanced
practice nurses scheduled drug prescriptive privileges. Even Georgia, the last
state to grant prescriptive privileges, grants scheduled drug prescriptive
privileges.
A significant body of research demonstrates the safety and efficacy of the drug
prescribing practices of advanced practice nurses. This restriction on
prescriptive privileges creates barriers to access to health care for those
patients who receive their care from advanced practice nurses. This
restriction, for example, prevents nurse practitioners who care for hospice
patients from managing patients' pain with narcotics. Additional intervention
by a physician is required for pain management, adding to the cost and time
needed to provide pain relief for hospice patients.
It is time for the Missouri legislature to allow nurse practitioners and other
advanced practice nurses, such as nurse anesthetists, to prescribe scheduled
drugs as allowed in all the states that surround Missouri.
Wisdom of Missouri's restrictions on nurses prescribing passes test of time.
Dr. Sam Hawatmeh, internist, St. Louis
Controlled substances are essentially narcotics and other addictive drugs; they
are dangerous. They must be prescribed only after a thorough medical evaluation
— not a nursing evaluation and with continued medical re-evaluation — to
consider dangerous interactions and side effects. The Missouri General Assembly
decided 12 years ago to not allow nurses to prescribe these drugs. That wisdom
has withstood the test of time.
Current law defines an advanced practice nurse as one with education beyond
basic nursing education certified by a nationally recognized professional
organization as having a nursing specialty. State approval via the Board of
Nursing is not required!
This means that any "nationally recognized" professional organization could
produce certifications for various nursing specialties, and immediately qualify
advanced practice nurses in Missouri. All would have controlled substance
prescriptive authority.
The nurses argue they would prescribe only pursuant to a collaborative practice
arrangement with a physician. However, it is important to understand that such
arrangements have no common standards and are not closely regulated.
There also is a very real concern about illegal diversion of these drugs. At a
time when we're doing everything possible to restrict the availability of
dangerous drugs and substances used to manufacture methamphetamines, it is
incongruent to dramatically expand the number of individuals who can prescribe
these substances.
But the bottom line is patient safety. Controlled substances should be
prescribed only by licensed physicians, podiatrists and dentists.
This article was posted from STL Today.
Posted
8/24/07
August ISAPN Express
Click here to read.
Posted
7/11/07
Nurse Practice Act Passes on July 11
SB 360, The Nurse Practice Act, just passed unanimously out of the Senate! Next step: Governor’s signature!!!
The General Assembly has 30 days to send the bill to the Governor, and he has 60 days to sign the bill. It is effective immediately!
Congratulations!!!!!!
Sue Clark, Lobbyist
PS Thank you for all your work on this initiative.
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