Healthcare (Healthcare Workforce)

HB 3889 restricts when advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) can prescribe or order controlled substances, dangerous drugs, or devices. It requires physicians to have a specific written agreement with APRNs or PAs to delegate this authority, and the physician must already have a patient-provider relationship with the patient receiving the prescription. The bill amends Texas law to explicitly prohibit delegation for these items without such an agreement, effective September 1, 2025. This directly affects APRNs and PAs who wish to prescribe these medications under collaborative practice.

HB 3890 modifies Texas law to restrict when physicians can delegate prescribing authority to physician assistants (PAs) or advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). It prohibits physicians from delegating drug or device prescribing to PAs or APRNs practicing in a specialty outside the physician’s training or primary practice - unless the physician has at least five years of experience in that specialty. This requirement directly affects physicians, PAs, and APRNs by adding a new condition for delegation. The bill takes effect September 1, 2025, and creates a clear, time-bound standard for scope-of-practice delegation.