Five states have expanded scope of practice laws, an effort some experts said will help increase patient care access for coronavirus symptoms.
Five states, including Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin have expanded scope of practice laws for advance practice practitioners, a move the American Association of Nurse Practitioners said will expand patient access to care during the coronavirus crisis.
This comes as AANP and HHS Secretary Alex Azar have called on state governors to expand scope of practice laws that can keep nurse practitioners and physician assistants from providing medical care in certain settings.
This brings the total number of states with relaxed scope of practice laws for nurse practitioners up to 27.
Want to publish your own articles on DistilINFO Publications?
Send us an email, we will get in touch with you.
Scope of practice refers to the level of autonomy a nurse practitioner or physician assistant might have when treating patients. In states with strict scope of practice laws, advance practice providers must practice with what is called a collaborative agreement with a provider.
Those collaborative agreements are proving restrictive in light of the coronavirus outbreak, according to AANP President Sophia Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP, FNAP, FAANP. For example, nurse practitioner with a collaborative agreement in anesthesiology may not be able to treat patients in the ED, despite the high demand for more providers.
This latest move from Kentucky, Louisiana, New York, New Jersey, and Wisconsin is a step forward for NPs working during the coronavirus, Thomas said in a statement.
“We’re encouraged that the governors of Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York and Wisconsin have taken action to fully utilize our highly-trained NP workforce to respond to this unprecedented pandemic,” Thomas stated.
“With the worst of the crisis yet to unfold and personal protective equipment shortages exacting a heavy toll on the health of frontline health care providers, we need the rest of the nation’s governors to lift barriers now,” she added. “We cannot afford to sideline qualified NPs from providing care or hinder them from providing telehealth across state lines.”
Nurse practitioners have the training to address a number of healthcare needs that are front and center in treating COVID-19 patients. Nurse practitioners are able to evaluate and diagnose patients, interpret test results, and can order and initiate both prescription and non-pharmacy treatments. These advance practice providers are also instrumental in care coordination and caregiver and patient education.
Expanding scope of practice laws in these states will allow NPs to complete each of those tasks, thus expanding access to care, AANP said. That is not to mention the geographic care access hurdles that collaborative agreements often introduce.
“We have been hearing from frontline NPs in states with outdated regulations that it’s often easier to volunteer in other states than to serve in their own communities,” Thomas explained.
“In fact, some are being recruited away from the states they currently reside and practice in, to more inclusive practice environments, leaving patients at risk of little to no access to care. It’s more urgent than ever that the remaining governors act decisively to eliminate these needless barriers to care and unleash the potential of their state’s NP workforce to combat this pandemic.”
AANP is not alone in the fight for broad scope of practice. In late March, the American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) issued a letter to all 50 state governors to expand scope of practice laws for them, as well.
Far fewer states boast broad scope of practice laws for PAs than they do for NPs — Maine, Michigan, New York, and Tennessee permit PAs to engage in direct patient care without a collaborative or supervisory agreement.
But, like the plight of NPs, AAPA said this is restricting patient access to care amid a provider shortage and explosion in COVID-19 patient cases.
“PAs are already a crucial part of the on-the-ground efforts to administer tests, and diagnose and treat patients,” AAPA President David E. Mittman, PA, DFAAPA said in a statement.
“But governors must take steps immediately to remove all barriers so that every PA can fully mobilize and contribute to the COVID-19 response effort,” he continued. “At a time when our healthcare workforce and system is stretched beyond its limits in responding to this crisis, every team member is essential. Archaic supervision requirements are limiting the PA response during this pandemic.”
Although scope of practice laws are a state issue, HHS Secretary Alex Azar has offered his own commentary urging states to expand scope of practice in light of the coronavirus outbreak.
Source: Patient Engagement Hit