AR HB1186

Removes the mandatory collaborative practice agreement requirement for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) who complete 3,600 hours of practice experience and qualify as "qualified advanced practice registered nurses"

Expands prescriptive authority for qualified APRNs to include drugs listed in Schedules II-V, compared to Schedules III-V for APRNs operating under collaborative practice agreements

Maintains the option for APRNs to operate under collaborative practice agreements with physicians, which would limit prescriptive authority to Schedules III-V (plus specified hydrocodone products)

Requires the Arkansas State Board of Nursing to adopt rules consistent with the Arkansas State Medical Board's rules for dangerous drugs and controlled substances, with Medical Board review prior to approval

Establishes legislative findings that collaborative practice agreements add costs without improving patient safety, and that 21 states already authorize full prescriptive authority for APRNs without physician supervision