Legal and Professional Issues for Nurses: A Nurse Attorney Answers

• I'm Being Audited by CMS--Should I Worry? A nurse practitioner has received notice of a CMS audit for the use of certain CPT codes. What does it mean, and is it cause for concern?
  Medscape Nurses, January 24, 2018
• Can RNs Bolus Propofol? Nurses often titrate deep sedation, but can they push these drugs if ordered to do so?
  Medscape Nurses, January 09, 2018
• Should I Interact With Patients on Social Media? There are varying standards for patients and clinicians on social media. Our legal expert, Carolyn Buppert, helps to clarify the distinctions.
  Medscape Nurses, January 03, 2018
• Buprenorphine Prescribing by NPs and PAs Why is it easy for NPs and PAs to prescribe opioids but not buprenorphine to treat opioid-use disorder?
  Medscape Nurses, December 18, 2017
• How Should 'Scribes' Be Used? A nurse practitioner who has been offered a 'scribe' asks about the legal ramifications of this assistance. The rules for the use of scribes by any licensed provider are found here.
  Medscape Nurses, December 05, 2017
• Should I Agree to Precept Nurse Practitioner Students? An NP gets lots of requests to be a preceptor. What does this entail, and is liability involved?
  Medscape Nurses, November 28, 2017
• Nurses and the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact Called a nursing license for the 21st century, the new eNLC will increase nurse mobility in many parts of the United States.
  Medscape Nurses, November 01, 2017
• Why Shouldn't Nurses Manage Epidural Infusions? If the anesthesia provider gives the order, can the nurse change the infusion rate or administer a bolus through an epidural catheter?
  Medscape Nurses, October 23, 2017
• Should Labor and Delivery Nurses Perform Moderate Sedation? A hospital wants its L&D nurses to learn moderate sedation in the rare event that an emergency C-section is performed under local anesthesia.
  Medscape Nurses, October 16, 2017
• Medical Assistants and Technicians: What Can They Do, Legally? What do state laws say about medical assistants and technicians, and how can physicians and nurses protect themselves from liability when using these healthcare workers?
  Medscape Nurses, October 10, 2017
• Utah Nurse Arrest: The Legal Questions, Answered Could what happened in Utah happen in your hospital? Here we answer the legal questions and offer ways for nurses and hospitals to review their policies on interactions with law enforcement.
  Medscape Nurses, September 25, 2017
• A Major Court Decision: Only Physicians Can Obtain Consent A state Supreme Court decision holds that physicians can't delegate the legal burden of informed consent to others.
  Medscape Nurses, September 18, 2017
• Physicians Who Work With NPs: What's the Liability Risk? Attorney Carolyn Buppert lays out the different models of working relationships between physicians and NPs, and the liability faced by physicians in each situation.
  Medscape Nurses, September 01, 2017
• Reducing Liability Risk When Collaborating With NPs Attorney Carolyn Buppert outlines five ways for physicians and nurse practitioners to avoid malpractice liability when collaborative practice is required by state law.
  Medscape Nurses, September 01, 2017
• 'No Answer': What Do I Do When I Can't Reach the Physician? A nurse was reported to the state board for negligence after she was unable to reach a physician for an order. Was this merited?
  Medscape Nurses, August 08, 2017
• A Clinical Dilemma: Did I Do the Right Thing? In a situation involving wound care, a nurse veered from the 'ordered' dressing type. Were her actions justified?
  Medscape Nurses, July 31, 2017
• Is This Function Within My Scope of Nursing Practice? An RN wonders whether her employer's protocols are sufficient to cover such tasks as giving vaccines or advice.
  Medscape Nurses, July 20, 2017
• Can I Delegate This Task to a Medical Assistant? Who can delegate medication administration or injection to a medical assistant?
  Medscape Nurses, July 07, 2017
• May Nurse Practitioners Perform Vasectomies? Do any states permit nurse practitioners to perform vasectomies?
  Medscape Nurses, June 23, 2017
• This Patient Needs an IV. What if She Refuses? A nurse asks whether patients must give explicit consent for every hospital procedure, and about the consequences if the patient refuses.
  Medscape Nurses, June 15, 2017