RxP for Tennessee

I support this

I agree with my colleagues--there is a shortage of qualified providers, especially in the rural areas of TN. Other states already have prescribing psychologists.

This training improved the quality of patient care tremendously

I believe this is a good idea

The overwhelming deficit in qualified providers has pushed the mental health situation beyond what families can endure in countless situations. Many Clinical Psychologists have been guiding prescription protocols for decades. The pathway to full prescription privileges should be paved with the training currently available via a number of paths. Thank You.

Access to psychiatric services in both rural and urban areas in TN is severely restricted and too expensive. An increase in supply (increase in trained providers) should help to mitigate this problem.

I studied and presented a research paper advocating for prescription privileges during my doctoral program in 1990-1994 at TN STATE UNIVERSITY. I have always been in favor of this option to fill in the gaps for underserved psychiatric populations.

The governor has recently allowed foreign doctors the opportunity to practice in Tennessee because we have such a shortage of primary care doctors. We also have a shortage of available appointments for psychiatry . The prescription bill for properly trained Tennessee psychologist should be passed to improve the availability for psychotherapy and medication when needed for emotional and mental health issues. I would encourage that the prescription bill include all of those who have previously completed the prescribing psychologist registry program and passed the national examination for prescriptive privies with ICPP certification examination. The PPR and ICPP training should be clearly included in the prescription bill language. So the language should include a master program, or the equivalent, such as PPR and ICPP.

I support prescription privileges for Psychologist . There is a severe shortage of prescribing providers for mental health concern.

Given the lack of access to quality psychiatric care, especially in rural areas, RxP could provide much needed care to some of our most vulnerable citizens.

My clients consistently turn to online psychiatric sites to obtain their prescriptions. They are often placed on subclinical doses of various psychotropics, and they remain there for prolonged periods, sometimes without check-ins with actual providers (which I've yet to totally understand). Others are followed by their PCPs for very long periods. This comes with its own set of problems. I would gladly take any coursework to prescribe for my clients and enhance their care, and it is my understanding that RXP is safe and effective. If there is a need in TN, I fully support moving ahead with this endeavor.

RxP has been proven a safe and effective means of increasing access to behavioral health care.

As a rehabilitation psychologist working in the state of Tennessee, I have consistently found it very difficult to find quality psychiatric prescribers who are accepting new patients, accepting health insurance, and have reasonable wait lists. By passing RxP legislation in the state of TN, this will allow for greater accessibility of patients to access comprehensive treatment by mental health experts (who have many years of training in both assessment/diagnosis of *just* mental health conditions, evidence-based psychotherapy). Passing RxP will be one large step forward in improving mental health care and access for TN!

First, the statutory requirements would assure that competency standards are met. Secondly this legislation would help address the significant shortage of Mental Health Professionals providing medication management to Tennesseans.

I believe this is an urgent issue for access to care for the citizens of Tennessee. I also believe that organized medicine's opposition to this amounts to a restraint of trade issue.

As a pediatric neuropsychologist working with a population of child and adolescents being served by primary care, I support the pursuit of expanding privileges to trained psychologists who are already working with these children and adolescents. Furthermore, as a neuropsychologist, our specialty is uniquely poised to be able to help fill the widening care gap given our extra training in neuroanatomy and neurologic conditions impacting brain developmnent.

Access to mental health providers with prescribing privileges is exceptionally limited in Tennessee, especially in rural areas. There are an increasing number of states that have experienced similar difficulties and added prescribing psychologists to better provide these needed services to their residents. It would be of great benefit to our state to pass legislation to enable psychologists with the requisite training to begin providing these desperately needed services.

Tennessee does not have enough psychiatrists. Most psychotropic medications are prescribed by physicians with little training in psychotropic medications. Appropriately trained psychologists would fix this problem.

I fully support psychologists with advanced training and certification prescribing psychiatric medications. We are limited in Tennessee in terms of mental health care that meets the citizens needs.