Kentucky NPs can prescribe meds

As of this week, nurse practitioners (NPs) in Kentucky will have the authority to prescribe routine medications if they complete a four-year collaboration with a doctor. The new law will also create a six-member committee that will compile a list of doctors willing to collaborate with NPs and find a physician for any NPs who cannot find one to collaborate with them. Healthcare professionals are hopeful that the new law will help offset the primary care shortage, which industry experts expect will worsen due to the increase of newly insured patients under the Affordable Care Act, and Kentucky's large number of rural areas. If successful, the law may serve as a model for other states' expansion of scope of practice laws. Read the full article at FierceHealthcare