Ohio Prescriptive Privilege Update for the APRN: A Policy Analysis

Access to quality healthcare is a growing concern in the United States especially in light of healthcare reform coverage expansions made possible by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. It is estimated that 94% of all Americans will acquire healthcare coverage under the law, an increase of nearly 30 million people (King, 2011). This dramatic influx of patients into the healthcare system has projected to cause an immediate increase in added pressure on an already challenged healthcare workforce (King, 2011). Notably, at a time when healthcare demands are growing, graduate rates from medical schools remain unchanged while advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) graduate rates are rising (Cipher, Hooker, Guerra, 2006). The increased availability of APRNs, along with enhanced delivery of healthcare skills, gives the role a unique advantage in the current state of healthcare. These specialized advanced practice nurses provide services often at a patient’s first (and in some cases, primary) point of contact into the healthcare system (Brassard, 2013). Due to this, many states have started to take action to mitigate the increased healthcare system burden by enhancing the APRN’s scope of practice by broadening prescriptive authority. This has been shown to be one of the fundamental ethical avenues of increasing not only access to healthcare, but also efficiency and quality of care (Ross, 2012).

Those advanced practice nurses who hold a CTP may prescribe medications according to the Ohio Board of Nursing Formulary and as established by the Committee on Prescriptive Governance (CPG) (Napp, 2012). Since enactment, the CPG has met on several occasions to modify the formulary for schedule II drugs to pre...

... middle of paper ...

...ent/29/2007-12_Overview_of_Nurse_Practitioner_Scopes_of_Practice_In_the_United_States_Discussion.pdf

Cipher, D. J., Hooker, R. S. and Guerra, P. (2006). Prescribing trends by nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the United States. Journal of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, 18, 291–296.

IOM (Institute of Medicine). (2011). The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press.

King, Martha. (2011). The affordable care act: a brief summary. Retrieved from http://www.ncsl.org/portals/1/documents/health/hraca.pdf

Napp, Carol. (2012). Am. sub. sb 83: Final analysis. Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Retrieved from http://www.nursing.ohio.gov/PDFS/AdvPractice/SB83_Analysis.pdf

Ross, J. (2012). Nurse prescribing in the USA: a nurse prescribing practice report. Nurse Prescribing, 10(2), 91-99.