FYI: http://news.nurse.com/article/20100927/IL02/109270044

The State of Illinois announced Aug. 24 that advanced practice nurses and physician assistants now can prescribe limited quantities of Schedule II controlled substances.

“We are pleased that the regulatory process has been completed with our federal partners so that APNs and PAs in Illinois can better serve the needs of their patients by increased prescriptive practice,” Donald W. Seasock, Acting Director, Illinois Division of Professional Regulation, said in a news release.

The announcement was made by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation after negotiations with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency.

Under the new regulations, APNs and PAs are limited to prescribing any five Schedule II drugs they select to their patients. They may prescribe no more than a 30-day supply of any of those drugs for patients being treated under a general collaborative agreement for APNs or written guidelines for PAs that includes a delegation of prescriptive authority with a licensed physician or podiatrist. The five drugs selected also must be listed in their collaborative agreement. An APN working independently at a hospital or surgical treatment center does not need to have a collaborative agreement, the IDFPR said.

Before applying to the DEA for a Schedule II permit, an APN or PA who has been given controlled substances prescriptive authority must obtain a mid-level practitioners controlled substance license or update a current controlled substances license to include Schedule II controlled substances.

The application is available online at www.IDFPR.com on the professional information pages for qualifying professions.

Upon receiving state license approval, an APN or PA must then apply for a DEA permit. That application is available at www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/drugreg/index.html.