Pharmacist Prescribing Rights: What Could It Mean for NPs?

In October, according to this press release from the Pharmacist Services Technical Advisory Coalition (PSTAC), the PSTAC was able to secure permanent CPT codes that pharmacists can use to prescribe for medication therapy management services. Pharmacists have for years been legally able to work with physicians to change dosage and treatment, but have been reticent until recently to take advantage of those rights because of reimbursement and liability concerns. Now the trend toward prescribing is becoming increasingly popular among pharmacist groups, with several states allowing pharmacists to prescribe. 

This could have implications for NPs as they work toward full prescribing rights. As more medical professionals push for prescribing rights, there could be more opposition from AMA and state medical associations to prescribing rights for any health care professional, including NPs. And granting prescribing rights to pharmacists could muddy the waters as to what qualifies a medical professional to prescribe: although pharmacists have extensive drug knowledge, they are not able to examine and diagnose patients.

Hopefully what this increased activity will do is encourage legislators to think critically about how expanded prescribing rights for NPs will benefit patients.