standing orders after provider left practice

Published

Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

Is it legal to use standing orders after a provider has left the practice? 

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

This is illegal as how can the provider be responsible if a nurse gives something and a patient has a reaction? I think it is illegal to use standing orders from a provider who is no longer with the practice. Thoughts?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Family Nurse Practitioner.

It is my understanding they are no longer valid if the provider who wrote them is no longer employed in the practice.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in APRN.

Illegal?  Probably not.  Inadvisable, surely.  Whoever gave their orders is still licensed, and you could follow them until doom's day. The license is the crux here, and the organizational policies really don't mean anything to anyone other than human resources.  I wouldn't recommend it, but you could unless you have specific statutory verbiage in your state detailing otherwise.  

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×

Not if they were "Dr. X's standing orders for _____" and Dr X is no longer there. Then the others remaining would need to agree that they wanted those orders to be used for the practice and should be formalized in some way/an official policy that they all agree to. 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I would add that I do think it could be considered technically illegal, not just inadvisable. If not then what stops you from using any old standing orders from any provider in the state, such as those you might know of from a previous employer or from a friend's workplace? At the point that Dr X has left, it's the same situation. You no longer have an order that has been given for (or,  is meant to be applied to) that patient or any patient in that practice. 
 

I would say it is legally the same as choosing to do something without any order, since you don't have a valid order. 

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
CuriousConundrum said:

Illegal?  Probably not.  Inadvisable, surely.  Whoever gave their orders is still licensed, and you could follow them until doom's day. The license is the crux here, and the organizational policies really don't mean anything to anyone other than human resources.  I wouldn't recommend it, but you could unless you have specific statutory verbiage in your state detailing otherwise.  

Yeah this actually a good point for such things as dnr/molst forms

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion