Professional- licensure, reimbursement, other

This question was posted during the CEPA webinar on licensure & reimbursement (Jan 2021). The person that asked this question said s/he had worked in cardiac rehab for many years as a CEP with the RCEP credential. In his/her institution they are not allowed to communicate orders from physicians to patients. Is this true for all institutions? Can other CEPs place orders on behalf or physicians and/or communicate orders between physicians and patients?

In my experience, I have not encountered a health system that allows CEPs to take verbal orders from a physician despite having worked in some very CEP friendly institutions. Generally, this is felt to be reserved for our nursing colleagues for whom it is specifically included in their scope of practice.

Fortunately, there is a super easy way around this. If the patient is still in the facility, I just ask the physician to tell the patient themselves what they'd like them to do and hand the phone to the patient. If the patient has already left, I ask the physician if one of their staff can call the patient and convey the physician's instruction.

Fortunately that is not the case here where I am at Kaiser Permanente in Colorado. I essentially have same scope as the RNs with the exception of delivering IV medications.

I was just wondering if anyone knows who makes the determination as to whether we can receive verbal orders and relay same to the patient? Is this governed by the State? I work as a CEP in NJ.

Your institution defines the process of verbal orders.