States with the fewest restrictions on nurse practitioners have two-and-a-half times more patients receiving primary care, per a new analysis.
While only 0.2% of Medicare patients nationally used NPs as their primary care provider in 1998, that jumped to 2.9% by 2010, according to researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.
In looking at a 12-year time period, the highest growth in nurse practitioner primary care was in states that allowed for a larger scope of practice, such as: Alabama, Alaska, Idaho, Maine, Oregon and Vermont. In Alaska, the rate of Medicare patients using an NP as a primary care provider is 15%.
Like other states’ lawmakers, the Texas legislature is evaluating proposed legislation to eliminate the requirement for on-site physician supervision and allow more leeway in prescribing.
One reason for expanding NPs’ role: In 1998, more than 60% of medical students pursued primary care; today it is less than 25%. Nursing homes are being pressed to involving nurse practitioners in their facilities and as referral sources.
Results appeared in The Journal of Health Affairs.
From the September 01, 2013 Issue of McKnight's Long-Term Care News