Sen. Denise Grimsley, chair of Health and Human Services Appropriations, filed a bill Thursday to enable advanced registered nurse practitioners to prescribe certain controlled substances, stopping short of a similar House initiative to extend powers of nurse practitioners.
Grimsley’s SB 1352 comes nearly a week after Senate President Don Gaetz, declared he was opposed to the House bill approved by the Select Committee on Health Care Workforce Innovation allowing advanced nurse practitioners to provide care without supervision of a doctor.
Grimsley’s proposal keeps the physician-supervision requirements, but makes a few changes such as expanding nurse practitioner powers to prescribe drugs.
With more training and education than registered nurses, advanced registered nurse practitioners have sought to provide care independently of physicians.
The issue launched a battle between healthcare lobbyists as physician groups strongly oppose the House proposal.
