FAQ:
Prescriptive Authority for Washington CRNAs
Washington surely leads the nation in the ability of ARNPs and CRNAs to practice independently. This distinction often leads to some confusion about the requirements for Washington CRNAs to have prescriptive authority and DEA registration in order to practice. The FAQ's document provided below attempts to dispel some of the misconceptions regarding our practice and to direct the reader to the appropriate resources for policy development for their facilities.
Prescriptive Authority FAQ (PDF,
467 KB)
Much of the confusion stems from definitions. Many people, physicians and hospital administrators included, do not understand the laws and regulations affecting selecting, ordering, administering, dispensing, and prescribing legend drugs and controlled substances. Each of these terms has a specific meaning in the law, and thus one must have a clear understanding of what it is one wishes to do with a medication before consulting the laws. Please review the definitions before consulting the questions as they will help you tremendously in figuring out where you are.
In addition, it is important to remember that both State and Federal laws and regulations impact our practice. In cases where one or the other is more restrictive, that law or regulation will apply.
