Nurse Practitioner Scope of Practice: Indiana
Indiana has it all. From the bustling city of Indianapolis to rolling fields of summer corn, it doesn’t get much more American than the Hoosier State. Not only are basketball, the motor speedway, and agriculture important to Hoosiers, nurse practitioners play an important role in this midwestern scene. How do Indiana’s laws affect the more than 3,000 NPs practicing in the state?
Indiana’s Nurse Practitioner Supervision Laws
Nurse practitioners practicing in Indiana are required to do so in collaboration with a physician. Although collaboration is required, the physician is not required to practice on-site with the nurse practitioner nor are there any geographic restrictions placed on the distance within which the NP and physician must practice. The collaborative practice agreement must outline how the NP and MD will work together, share practice responsibilities, and how coverage will be provided in the during any absence of the collaborating physician.
Indiana is one of just a few states that does not require nurse practitioners to be nationally certified. However, most NPs practicing in the state do obtain national certification. Medicare and other health insurance companies typically require national certification for credentialing and reimbursement meaning NPs practicing without certification may not be eligible for payment by these institutions.
Indiana’s Nurse Practitioner Prescribing Laws
Most laws regulating nurse practitioner practice in Indiana center around prescribing. NPs must work within a collaborative arrangement with a physician in order to prescribe. Within this agreement, state law allows nurse practitioners to prescribe Schedule II to V controlled substances. The collaborative agreement must specify that 5% of the nurse practitioner’s charts in which a medication was prescribed will be reviewed with the collaborating MD within seven days of the patient visit. NPs must also submit an Indiana state application to prescribe controlled substances.
To maintain prescriptive privileges, nurse practitioners in Indiana must obtain at least 30 hours of continuing education credit, 8 of these hours being in pharmacology, per renewal period.
Other Scope of Practice Laws
Nurse practitioners practicing in Indiana are permitted to sign handicap parking permits but are not allowed to sign death certificates. NPs are also officially recognized as primary care providers.
You Might Also Like: Which Type of Medical Malpractice Policy is Right for You?