(720 ILCS 570/303.05)

Sec. 303.05. Mid-level practitioner registration.

(a) The Department of Financial and Professional Regulation shall register licensed physician assistants, licensed advanced practice registered nurses, and prescribing psychologists licensed under Section 4.2 of the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act to prescribe and dispense controlled substances under Section 303 and euthanasia agencies to purchase, store, or administer animal euthanasia drugs under the following circumstances:

(1) with respect to physician assistants,

(A) the physician assistant has been delegated written authority to prescribe any Schedule III through V controlled substances by a physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches in accordance with Section 7.5 of the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987; and the physician assistant has completed the appropriate application forms and has paid the required fees as set by rule; or

(B) the physician assistant has been delegated authority by a collaborating physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches to prescribe or dispense Schedule II controlled substances through a written delegation of authority and under the following conditions:

(i) Specific Schedule II controlled substances by oral dosage or topical or transdermal application may be delegated, provided that the delegated Schedule II controlled substances are routinely prescribed by the collaborating physician. This delegation must identify the specific Schedule II controlled substances by either brand name or generic name. Schedule II controlled substances to be delivered by injection or other route of administration may not be delegated;

(ii) any delegation must be of controlled substances prescribed by the collaborating physician;

(iii) all prescriptions must be limited to no more than a 30-day supply, with any continuation authorized only after prior approval of the collaborating physician;

(iv) the physician assistant must discuss the condition of any patients for whom a controlled substance is prescribed monthly with the delegating physician;

(v) the physician assistant must have completed the appropriate application forms and paid the required fees as set by rule;

(vi) the physician assistant must provide evidence of satisfactory completion of 45 contact hours in pharmacology from any physician assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant (ARC-PA), or its predecessor agency, for any new license issued with Schedule II authority after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly; and

(vii) the physician assistant must annually complete at least 5 hours of continuing education in pharmacology;

(2) with respect to advanced practice registered nurses who do not meet the requirements of Section 65-43 of the Nurse Practice Act,

(A) the advanced practice registered nurse has been delegated authority to prescribe any Schedule III through V controlled substances by a collaborating physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches or a collaborating podiatric physician in accordance with Section 65-40 of the Nurse Practice Act. The advanced practice registered nurse has completed the appropriate application forms and has paid the required fees as set by rule; or

(B) the advanced practice registered nurse has been delegated authority by a collaborating physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches to prescribe or dispense Schedule II controlled substances through a written delegation of authority and under the following conditions:

(i) specific Schedule II controlled substances by oral dosage or topical or transdermal application may be delegated, provided that the delegated Schedule II controlled substances are routinely prescribed by the collaborating physician. This delegation must identify the specific Schedule II controlled substances by either brand name or generic name. Schedule II controlled substances to be delivered by injection or other route of administration may not be delegated;

(ii) any delegation must be of controlled substances prescribed by the collaborating physician;

(iii) all prescriptions must be limited to no more than a 30-day supply, with any continuation authorized only after prior approval of the collaborating physician;

(iv) the advanced practice registered nurse must discuss the condition of any patients for whom a controlled substance is prescribed monthly with the delegating physician or in the course of review as required by Section 65-40 of the Nurse Practice Act;

(v) the advanced practice registered nurse must have completed the appropriate application forms and paid the required fees as set by rule;

(vi) the advanced practice registered nurse must provide evidence of satisfactory completion of at least 45 graduate contact hours in pharmacology for any new license issued with Schedule II authority after the effective date of this amendatory Act of the 97th General Assembly; and

(vii) the advanced practice registered nurse must annually complete 5 hours of continuing education in pharmacology;

(2.5) with respect to advanced practice registered nurses certified as nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, or clinical nurse specialists who do not meet the requirements of Section 65-43 of the Nurse Practice Act practicing in a hospital affiliate,

(A) the advanced practice registered nurse certified as a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist has been privileged to prescribe any Schedule II through V controlled substances by the hospital affiliate upon the recommendation of the appropriate physician committee of the hospital affiliate in accordance with Section 65-45 of the Nurse Practice Act, has completed the appropriate application forms, and has paid the required fees as set by rule; and

(B) an advanced practice registered nurse certified as a nurse practitioner, nurse midwife, or clinical nurse specialist has been privileged to prescribe any Schedule II controlled substances by the hospital affiliate upon the recommendation of the appropriate physician committee of the hospital affiliate, then the following conditions must be met:

(i) specific Schedule II controlled substances by oral dosage or topical or transdermal application may be designated, provided that the designated Schedule II controlled substances are routinely prescribed by advanced practice registered nurses in their area of certification; the privileging documents must identify the specific Schedule II controlled substances by either brand name or generic name; privileges to prescribe or dispense Schedule II controlled substances to be delivered by injection or other route of administration may not be granted;

(ii) any privileges must be controlled substances limited to the practice of the advanced practice registered nurse;

(iii) any prescription must be limited to no more than a 30-day supply;

(iv) the advanced practice registered nurse must discuss the condition of any patients for whom a controlled substance is prescribed monthly with the appropriate physician committee of the hospital affiliate or its physician designee; and

(v) the advanced practice registered nurse must meet the education requirements of this Section;

(3) with respect to animal euthanasia agencies, the euthanasia agency has obtained a license from the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and obtained a registration number from the Department; or

(4) with respect to prescribing psychologists, the prescribing psychologist has been delegated authority to prescribe any nonnarcotic Schedule III through V controlled substances by a collaborating physician licensed to practice medicine in all its branches in accordance with Section 4.3 of the Clinical Psychologist Licensing Act, and the prescribing psychologist has completed the appropriate application forms and has paid the required fees as set by rule.

(b) The mid-level practitioner shall only be licensed to prescribe those schedules of controlled substances for which a licensed physician has delegated prescriptive authority, except that an animal euthanasia agency does not have any prescriptive authority. A physician assistant and an advanced practice registered nurse are prohibited from prescribing medications and controlled substances not set forth in the required written delegation of authority or as authorized by their practice Act.

(c) Upon completion of all registration requirements, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, and animal euthanasia agencies may be issued a mid-level practitioner controlled substances license for Illinois.

(d) A collaborating physician may, but is not required to, delegate prescriptive authority to an advanced practice registered nurse as part of a written collaborative agreement, and the delegation of prescriptive authority shall conform to the requirements of Section 65-40 of the Nurse Practice Act.

(e) A collaborating physician may, but is not required to, delegate prescriptive authority to a physician assistant as part of a written collaborative agreement, and the delegation of prescriptive authority shall conform to the requirements of Section 7.5 of the Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987.

(f) Nothing in this Section shall be construed to prohibit generic substitution.

(Source: P.A. 99-173, eff. 7-29-15; 100-453, eff. 8-25-17; 100-513, eff. 1-1-18; 100-863, eff. 8-14-18.)