DES MOINES – The Iowa legislature is looking at the possibility of giving psychologists the authority to write prescriptions for their patients.
Last week, the House Human Resources Committee passed HSB 503, Republicans in the Iowa legislature said. This bill grants prescription authority to certain licensed psychologists. These prescrib- ing psychologists must complete many additional requirements that a traditional psychologist does not.
During the subcommittee for this bill, the physicians asked for a few additional items to tighten up and clarify the lan- guage in the bill. The amendment that was created as a compromise does the following:
■ The amendment requires a prescribing psychologist to have a signed collaborative practice agreement with a physician as a condition of certification. The bill already includes very strong language requiring a prescribing psychologist to collaborate regularly with their patient’s pri- mary care provider to “ensure that necessary medical examinations are conducted, the psychotropic medica- tion is appropriate for the patient’s medical condition, and significant changes in the patient’s medical and psychological condition are dis- cussed.” This amendment builds on what is already in the bill by requir- ing this agreement. This is to en- sure patient safety while improving access to mental health providers across the state. The amendment clarifies that the only medications to be prescribed by the prescribing psychologist are for the treatment of mental health disor- ders. This specifically prohibits pre- scribing psychologists from prescrib- ing narcotics.
■ The amendment requires prescribing psychologists to have two years of supervision by a physician before they can prescribe independently.
■ The amendment requires the Board of Medicine and Board of Psycholo- gy to collaborate on the develop- ment of rules to implement this change. The bill already stipulates that the Board of Medicine has au- thority to develop rules on the super- vision and discipline of physicians overseeing psychologists.
Many people living in rural Iowa face challenges with access to mental health providers. This bill takes Iowa one step closer to having a larger mental health workforce and better access to care. The bill passed 14-6 in committee.
