Prescriptive Authority Update

Once again, the State of Florida has ignored the facts and listened to the vested interests of the Florida Medical Society in denying Florida NPs the authorization to write prescriptions for scheduled drugs. In all fairness, I will say that many MDs spoke out on behalf of NPs, and the issue came much closer to reality than it ever has. Several MDs I've spoken with have been honest about the bottom line, that this is a turf issue, and that it's about power and money. I appreciate their honesty, but would like more that they would set aside their hubris and work for the real loser in this fight: the patient. From my viewpoint, this is about access to care, timely access, not just eventual access. They cloak their objections in talk of increased drug dependency rates, but in no state where NPs have this authority does this bear out.

However, Florida NPs are organized now as they have never been before. We have a plan for the summer while the legislature is out of session. We will bring this back next year, and the next, and the next, until the legislature finally does the right thing.