Featured Questions

I am an FNP working with one physician in a private Family Medicine Practice. The doctor that I work with sees suboxone patients and has the proper DEA number and training. He would like me to be able to see these patients who come in for their monthly assessments and refills. He says as long as he is writing the prescription for the suboxone I can do the visits. What's your advice on this?

Suboxone is a touchy subject. It is recommended that he cosign your visits with the suboxone patients. That way you are covered completely. If any complaint ever arose to the BRN, you would be covered since the physician agreed with you in writing.

I am a nurse practitioner in a solo practice in a small town. I am not on staff at our local hospital. My collaborating physician is also not on staff there. I am continually having problems advocating for my patients when they are inpatient. I can send them in to be admitted and the hospital has on record that I am their PCP. When I go there, I am not allowed to look at their chart or labs and every time I ask the nursing staff about labs, I am told, "You are not on staff. You cannot have access to our electronic records." I then tell them I do not need access to their electronic records – that a verbal report would be fine. This has been a continual problem. How do I go about alleviating this problem? Should I have all my patients sign something upon establishing care that I can then give to the hospital?

If you or your physician do not have privileges at the hospital, they do not have to communicate with you. If you don't plan to get privileges, you can have your patients sign a release of records to you and then the hospital would have to give you the information.

If I am a physician/owner of an outpatient FP/urgent care facility and I am employing nine different NPs but I only have three NPs on duty at any given time, am I in compliance with state and federal regulations for mid-level provider supervision?

As long as you are not supervising more than four NPs at one time, you are within the law. This is state regulation. There is no federal regulation in this regard.

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