Legal Status of EPT in Arkansas
EPT is permissible.
| I. Statutes/regs on health care providers’ authority to prescribe for STDs to a patient’s partner(s) w/out prior evaluation (Explanation) |  The Arkansas State Medical Board exempts “prescriptions written or medications issued for use in expedited heterosexual partner therapy for the sexually transmitted diseases of gonorrhea and/or chlamydia” from its definition of malpractice for physicians. Ark. Admin Code 060.00.1-2(8)(C). (effective 7/8/2012) |
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| II. Specific judicial decisions concerning EPT (or like practices) (Explanation) | |
| III. Specific administrative opinions by the Attorney General or medical or pharmacy boards concerning EPT (or like practices) (Explanation) | “The Arkansas State Board of Nursing has determined that it is within the scope of practice of the Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) with Prescriptive Authority to prescribe EPT to their patients’ heterosexual partner(s) with suspected gonorrhea and/or chlamydia. The prescription shall be in the partner’s name.” |
| IV. Laws that incorporate via reference guidelines as acceptable practices (including EPT) (Explanation) | The current edition of APHA’s “Control of Communicable Disease in Man” is accepted for applying general control measures for communicable diseases. Ark. Admin. Code 007.15.2-II. |
| V. Prescription requirements (Explanation) |  Pharmacist filling a prescription for dispensing to an ultimate patient may affix label showing patient’s name on container, but not required. Ark. Code Ann. § 17-92-505.* |
| VI. Assessment of EPT’s legal status with brief comments (Explanation) | EPT is permissible. Arkansas State Medical Board regulations exclude EPT from its definition of “malpractice.” A lack of contrary statutory or regulatory provisions suggests that EPT is permissible for physicians treating chlamydia or gonorrhea. |
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*This legal authority predates the effective date of the state’s law that authorizes EPT. Status as of July 8, 2012 |
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Legend
supports the use of EPT
negatively affects the use of EPT
EPT is permissible
EPT is potentially allowable
EPT is prohibited
| EPT is permissible in 46 states: |
EPT is potentially allowable in 4 states: |
EPT is prohibited in 0 states: |
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| Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming EPT is permissible in the District of Columbia. EPT is permissible in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. |
Alabama Kansas Oklahoma South Dakota EPT is potentially allowable in Puerto Rico and Guam. |
Summary Totals
The information presented here is not legal advice, nor is it a comprehensive analysis of all the legal provisions that could implicate the legality of EPT in a given jurisdiction. The data and assessment are intended to be used as a tool to assist state and local health departments as they determine locally appropriate ways to control STDs.
For comments, feedback and updates, please contact CDC-INFO: https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/.
Page last reviewed: March 24, 2020