Indisputably, there is a shortage of qualified professionals to meet the mental health care needs in the United States—in particular, psychiatric services—resulting in the need to recruit foreign physicians to the US to help fill the shortage (The New Economy Healthcare Report, 2017). In 2013, there were 45,580 actively practicing psychiatrists in the US to meet the needs of over 300 million persons, with 40% of the workforce practicing in exclusive cash-only private practices, the second highest among medical specialties after dermatologists (National Council for Behavioral Health, March 28, 2017). Health care disparities are particularly marked among underrepresented groups in terms of age, minority states, socioeconomic status, and geographic location. At the core of the RxP movement is providing access to quality mental health services to all. Presently, the states of New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa and Idaho have passed legislation for psychologist prescriptive authority. Washington State, may be the next state in which psychologists acquire prescriptive authority. The Washington Behavioral Health Workforce, as authorized by the Governor and Legislature, note that the demand for behavioral healthcare is outstripping the availability of service (2017). In this presentation, the Washington State RxP effort will be discussed with Dr. David Shearer, a prescribing psychologist and instrumental leader of the state initiative. The proposed model and lessons learned for states considering introducing RxP legislation will be discussed.

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