2012 Louisiana Laws
Revised Statutes
TITLE 37 — Professions and occupations
RS 37:1360.61 — Standards of practice for medical psychologists

§1360.61. Standards of practice for medical psychologists

A. Medical psychologists shall be authorized to administer and prescribe only drugs recognized and customarily used for the management of mental, nervous, emotional, behavioral, substance abuse, and cognitive diseases or disorders.

B. Standards for the treatment or management of common complications of the drug therapy provided by medical psychologists will be set forth in rules and regulations which shall be promulgated and adopted by the board, in consultation with the Medical Psychology Advisory Committee, in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act.

C. Medical psychologists may not order, administer, prescribe, or distribute narcotics, as defined in this Part.

D. Nothing in this Part shall be interpreted or construed as permitting a medical psychologist to pharmacologically treat patients for other primary medical conditions, unless specifically defined in and authorized by the board in such rules and regulations as might be necessary.

E. Practitioners licensed under this Part may order and interpret laboratory studies and other medical diagnostic procedures, as necessary for adequate pretreatment health screening, diagnosis of mental, nervous, emotional, behavioral, substance abuse, and cognitive disorders and treatment maintenance, including those necessary for the monitoring of potential side-effects associated with medications prescribed by the medical psychologist.

F. Medical psychologists shall maintain Basic Life Support certification.

G. Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, nothing in this Part shall prohibit or restrict medical psychologists, licensed under the provisions of this Part, from employing or otherwise utilizing psychological technicians or psychometricians to assist in the provision of non-medical psychological services.

(1) Psychological technicians or psychometricians shall be authorized to administer psychological tests and provide other technical, ancillary non-medical psychological services as specifically ordered by the medical psychologist.

(2) Psychological technicians or psychometricians shall minimally hold a bachelor's degree in psychology from an accredited college or university.

(3) Psychological technicians or psychometricians shall administer psychological tests or provide other technical, ancillary non-medical psychological services only under the general supervision of the medical psychologist.

(4) The medical psychologist employing or otherwise utilizing the services of a psychological technician or psychometrician assumes the professional responsibility and liability for all services and actions undertaken by the psychological technician or psychometrician acting on behalf of the medical psychologist.

(5) The medical psychologist shall provide the board, in such manner and form as directed by the board, with the name and credentials of any psychological technician or psychometrician under his or her supervision.

(6) Psychological technicians or psychometrician in the employ or otherwise utilized by a medical psychologist under the provisions of this Part may provide other technical, ancillary non-medical psychological services as might be approved by the board.

(7) The board, in consultation with the Medical Psychology Advisory Committee, shall have the authority to promulgate such rules and regulations necessary to otherwise govern the activities of psychological technicians or psychometricians.

Acts 2009, No. 251, §11, eff. July 1, 2009.