HB1963

House Bill 1963 clarifies the prescriptive authority of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) regarding stimulant medications in Arkansas. The bill establishes that if an APRN is authorized to issue a prescription for a stimulant that was originally initiated by a physician, the APRN may substitute that medication with a therapeutically equivalent version. To perform such a substitution, the APRN must comply with existing criteria, including ensuring the patient has been evaluated by the initiating physician within the previous six months. Additionally, the bill mandates that the APRN must notify the original prescribing physician if a substitution of a therapeutically equivalent medication is made.