
How Healthcare Reform Is Impacting Primary Care
The current primary care provider workforce will not be able to meet the growing demands driven by recent healthcare reforms. What is the solution?
Over the past 5 years, an estimated
It is clear that the current primary care provider workforce will not be able to meet the growing demands driven by recent health care reforms. That is why an increasing number of health policy experts are encouraging state and federal governments to broaden the role of
A Growing Emphasis on Nurse Practitioners
In 2012, approximately half of all NPs in the United States were practicing in primary care settings. Since then, NP graduation rates have been steadily rising, with
Nearly
In anticipation of the provider shortage, the ACA has implemented a number of initiatives designed to advance the role of NPs in primary care practice. These programs include the Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) demonstration, which was set to provide up to $200 million in funding to 5 hospital systems from 2012 through 2016 to educate and train greater numbers of NPs. The government has also increased funding to allow National Health Services Corps (NHSC) programs to add more NPs.
Obstacles to NP Practice
However, barriers to NP practice continue to prevent these practitioners from achieving their full potential. The most challenging of these is undoubtedly the
Another obstacle facing NPs is reimbursement. In many states, the amount of Medicaid reimbursement for NP services is considerably less than those services provided by a physician—up to 25% less. Additionally, a quarter of HMOs do not recognize nurse practitioners as primary care providers, which also impacts coverage.
Looking to the Future
If effectively integrated into the healthcare delivery system, greater use of nurse practitioners could provide much-needed respite in the midst of our dire primary care physician shortage. In this scenario, the
While the barriers are significant, there are some glimmers of hope on the horizon. More states are working to expand the role of NPs in primary care, including granting full practice authority and improving reimbursement. Currently,
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