"The House Health Quality Subcommittee approved a bill Tuesday that would allow registered nurse practitioners and physicians assistants to prescribe controlled substances.

Florida is the only state that does not allow these two professions to prescribe under a physician's guidance.

HB 423 could help lower health care costs. Instead of a patient seeing a nurse practitioner, then being referred to a doctor, they can skip a step.

Physician groups like the Florida Medical Association have lobbied in the past against such proposals; an identical bill passed through the House earlier this year during both the regular and special session. It died in the Senate."

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