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Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Health Professions
 
Board
Board of Medicine
 
chapter
Regulations Governing the Practice of Physician Assistants [18 VAC 85 ‑ 50]
Action Removal of patient care team physician or podiatrist name from prescriptions issued by physician assistants
Stage NOIRA
Comment Period Ends 4/9/2025
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3/12/25  8:33 am
Commenter: Laura DeWitz PA-C

antiquated rule not benefitting patient care
 

Most PAs have been there, we are in clinic seeing patients when we get the call. The pharmacy needs you to resend the prescription with the collaborating physician's name on it.  We must stop everything and either call the pharmacy or resend the prescription. This takes away from patient care and adds ONE MORE additional bureaucracy to our day. ONE MORE rule that does not make any sense or add benefit to patients. This rule wastes pharmacy's time and takes away from PA's time we could/should be spending with patients.  It adds to burn out with PAs, clinic staff and pharmacy staff. Please tell me how this is value-added to the patient? Often times my prescription will make it onto the PMP in Virginia for my collaborating physician. The MD/DO doesn't even know the patient, and now MY PATIENTS' controlled meds are falsely elevating the MDs' list of prescribed controlled meds. This is a liability. Perhaps this is another reason it can be hard to find collaborators in psychiatry; add that to the critical shortages of psychiatrists. Please help us rid these antiquated rules that hinder patient care and steal valuable time from providers.

CommentID: 233012