NPs Prescribing More Drugs

NEW YORK (AP)--The number of drugs prescribed by nurse practitioners and physician assistants is rising dramatically, reflecting their increased legal authority and growing acceptance by doctors. 

Nurse practitioners wrote 15 million prescriptions in the United States last year, up 66 percent from 1997, according to a study by the consulting firm Scott-Levin. Physician assistants wrote 12 million prescriptions, up 33 percent. 

While those numbers still represent a fraction of the 2.5 billion prescriptions written annually, consumer and medical groups say the trend is convenient for patients and makes doctors offices more efficient. 

Nurse practitioners--registered nurses with advanced, specialized training--can write prescriptions in all 50 states and D.C., although in Pennsylvania, Georgia and Ohio, a doctor is required to co-sign the order.