“Women’s Health Nurse Practitioners who treat male [partners] for STDs must have authorization for and have received specific training in such practice, as documented in the written protocol between the nurse practitioner and the supervising physician. In addition, any prescription written for STDs shall be issued for a medicinal therapeutic purpose to a person with whom the practitioner has a bona fide practitioner-patient relationship….”

House Bill No. 2083 states "[A] bona fide practitioner-patient relationship means that the practitioner shall perform or have performed an appropriate examination of the patient except for where the practitioner is a Department of Health clinician and is providing expedited partner therapy, as defined by the Department of Health and consistent with the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, to individuals over the age of 18 for confirmed or suspected cases of chlamydia or gonorrhea."

"Regulations incorporate, but are not limited to: APHA's CCD Manual, 18th edition, 2004, "Methods of Control" sections. The board and commissioner reserve the right to use any legal means to control any disease which is a threat to the public health." 12 Va. Admin. Code § 5-90-100

The prescription shall contain the patient’s name and address. Va. Code Ann.
§ 54.1-3408.01(A)

EPT is potentially allowable

The Board of Nursing and Medicine opinion requires a “bona fide practitioner-patient relationship,” although this term is only defined in statutes relating to the regulation of controlled substances under Va. Code Ann. § 54.1-3303(A). Absent an express statutory preclusion, the health board and commissioner may exercise their authority to proffer EPT as a potential measure to treat diseases (like STDs) that pose a threat to the public’s health.