Earlier this year, the Missouri Board of Nursing and the Board of Registration for the Healing Arts adopted an emergency rule that extended the maximum distance an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) could practice from their collaborating physician. Previously, APRNs and physicians had to be within 30 miles (50 miles if in a health professional shortage area) of each other. The new rule extends this distance to 75 miles by road. Since this was an emergency rule, it would have expired in early 2019 leaving practitioners with uncertainty. However, effective October 30th, this change to the maximum distance was made permanent. This will allow physicians and nurse practitioners greater flexibility in creating their collaborative arrangements. If you would like to read more about Missouri’s APRN collaborative agreements you can read the current Board of Nursing rules  here.