DEA license anyone?

Trauma Columnist · Jan 16, 2009

My practice paid for mine. I use it daily. Do you write scripts? If you don't write scripts, then not necessary. However, if you do write scripts, then your practice should be paying for it as they should do with all credentialling.

Editorial Team / Admin · Jan 16, 2009

Same here. The Practice pays this.

jer_sd · Jan 16, 2009

Have it, need it, use it on a daily basis. Employer pais for it since it it linked to the office location, and all narcotics for the office are ordered under my dea number since I am on only provider at the clinic 5 days a week.

Since you work cardiology I would assume you woudl need it for standard of care to provide morphine for chest pain at the very least.

rnsrgr8t · Jan 16, 2009

My employer paid for my DEA. If you are writing scripts you will need it. Some Medicaids want your DEA even if you are not writing for a controlled substance.

Advanced Practice Columnist / Guide · Jan 18, 2009

I am curious to know how many NPs have their DEA license. I was planning on applying for one but decided against it when I found out it would cost over 500 dollars. Any advice? Thanks. Oh, I work in cardiology ( I see both hospital inpatient as well as office). T

I would look into your prescribing patterns first. An order to dispense a medication for immediate administration to a hospitalized patient is not considered a prescription. So even though you may have written an order to administer a controlled substance to a patient in the hospital such as Morphine, you certainly do not need a DEA number to validate that order. However, if your role involves discharging patients who may need a prescription for a narcotic for pain at home, then it would definitely benefit you to have your own DEA number. Bringing this issue up to your collaborating physician should convince him or her enough to shoulder the cost of your DEA application. I'm sure he or she wouldn't want you to be borrowing his DEA number and writing prescriptions under his or her name.

I only work in the in-patient setting but do discharge patients to home or other facilities from time to time. All NP's and PA's are required to have a DEA number which the hospital pays for so that we can write discharge prescriptions for narcotics using both traditional prescription pads and the newer electronic prescriptions.

Dixiecup · Jan 29, 2009

I live in Missouri. NP's are not allowed to write for narcotics. It's really aggrivating. The NP has to confer with the physician then the physician has to write it.