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Idaho News: Physician Assistants
Published in the September 2008 Idaho Board of Pharmacy Newsletter
Physician assistants (PAs) are able to write prescriptions in Idaho. The PA’s name should be the name printed on the prescription label. The PAs name should be written as “John Smith, PA-C” (add appro¬priate designation as applicable). The prescription should not state Dr Smith if John Smith is a PA. Labeling a prescription with a different clinician (eg, the attending physician) on the prescription other than the one who actually wrote it can lead to medication errors, significant delays in therapy, patient confusion, and is also against pharmacy laws. The public’s perception, as well as that of professionals, of the PA is sometimes misguided by old habits. The National Association of Physician Assistants hopes that the continued education of individual pharmacists through a collaboration with the board of pharmacy in each state can help to achieve an understanding of the importance of this policy.
