Bill > HB1635

This bill modifies provisions related to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) in Missouri, primarily focusing on reducing restrictions on their practice and prescriptive authority. The legislation removes geographic proximity requirements for collaborative practice arrangements between physicians and APRNs, allowing them to work together across greater distances using methods like telehealth. It establishes that APRNs who have accumulated 2,000 documented hours of practice can be exempt from requiring a collaborative practice arrangement with a physician, giving them more independent practice capabilities. The bill expands APRNs' prescriptive authority, allowing them to prescribe controlled substances in Schedules III, IV, and V, and limited Schedule II medications, with specific restrictions on prescription quantities and types. Additionally, the bill allows APRNs to prescribe buprenorphine for medication-assisted treatment of substance use disorders and clarifies that a collaborating physician cannot be required to work with an APRN against their will. The legislation aims to increase healthcare access by providing more flexibility for advanced practice nurses in their clinical practice and prescribing capabilities, while maintaining safeguards to ensure patient safety.

https://house.mo.gov/Bill.aspx?bill=HB1635&year=2026&code=R