Christine Jordan Sexton
Nurses will be authorized to order in a hospital setting under a bill approved at the last Senate Finance and Tax Committee of the regular 2015 session.
The bill — CS/CS/SB 532 — allows an advanced registered nurse practitioner to order any medication — including a controlled substance — for administration to a patient in a hospital, ambulatory surgical center, or mobile surgical facility within the framework of an established protocol. It is filed by Sen. Denise Grimsley.
The committee did agree to tag onto an amendment to the bill that language that was tagged onto the measure in the Senate Health Policy Committee. The language in question made clear that any medical products and supplies or medicine dispensed according to “an order for administration” are exempt from sales tax.
Grimsley said she wasn’t sure why the language was tagged onto the measure in the original committee and that she had no opposition to it being removed.
The measure was supported by the Florida Hospital Association, AARP Florida, among others. The bill was filed after nurse Carolann Robley petition with the Board of Nursing was filed asking whether ARNPs can legally order narcotics for patients. The petition noted that a hospital Robley worked at banned the nurses from ordering controlled substances after January 1, 2014, citing a 2013 bill passed by the Legislature addressing physician assistant’s ability to order controlled substances but did not addresses nurses.
The bill passed unanimously. A similar bill, HB 281, has passed all its committees of reference in the House and is ready for the full House to take up and consider.
