Indiana PAs Celebrate Upcoming Enactment of “Collaboration” Legislation

Law Removes Barriers to PA Prescriptive Authority

May 17, 2019

Indiana PAs are celebrating the enactment of H.B. 1248, which replaces references to PA “supervision” with “collaboration.”

The new law, which makes Indiana the ninth state to use a term other than supervision to describe PA practice, will also make several changes related to PA prescriptive authority, including:

• Removing the requirement that PAs complete at least 30 contact hours in pharmacology if they have graduated from an accredited PA program;
• Eliminating the requirement that PAs complete at least 1,800 practice hours prior to prescribing controlled medications;
• Removing the requirement that the collaborating physician expressly delegate and issue written protocols to the PA regarding prescriptive authority;
• Eliminating the prohibition on PAs prescribing more than 30 days’ worth of controlled medications;
• Reducing the required chart review for prescribing PAs in their first year of practice from 25% (50% for Schedule II) to 10%; and
• Eliminating the requirement that PAs changing specialties undergo the same review as a new PA for the first year in their new specialty.

H.B. 1248 was signed by Gov. Eric Holcomb on May 5, 2019, and it becomes effective on July 1, 2019. The bill was strongly supported by the Indiana Academy of PAs (IAPA). AAPA provided IAPA with financial, advocacy, and communications support.

More Resources
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West Virginia PAs Achieve Significant Progress Toward OTP

For more information, or for questions regarding PA practice in Indiana, please contact Erika Miller, director, state advocacy and outreach.