News

Thomas on Pain: NPs Already on Front Lines of Pain Management

Pain Medicine News | Oct 02 2019

“Nurse practitioners have always treated pain—that’s a part of a patient, as we take care of each patient day by day,” said Sophia Thomas, DNP, FNP, PNP, FAANP, the president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)... Read More

North Carolinians falling into health care coverage gap

The Laurinburg Exchange | Sep 18 2019

RALEIGH — North Carolina doesn’t just have a health care gap. Large fissures riddle the system. North Carolina has the 10th highest uninsured rate in the country, but it fares just as badly for how it cares for the disabled in the Case for Inclusion rankings. Read More

Legislators discuss lifting restrictions on Georgia nurse practitioners at Augusta study session

The Augusta Chronicle | Sep 17 2019

Nurse practitioners would like the state to take the shackles off what they are allowed to do on their own, a joint legislative study committee was told Tuesday. But some aren’t sure the state should change those restrictions, as South Carolina did last year for nurse practitioners and last month for physician assistants. Read More

Medicaid expansion bill that could affected 650K in North Carolina withdrawn from N.C. House floor f

Winston-Salem Journal | Sep 11 2019

The proposed Medicaid expansion bill — part of a controversial three-prong legislative dispute tying up the General Assembly — was sent back to a House committee Wednesday. Read More

States Should Look to Nurse Practitioners to Fight Against Opioid Epidemic

Route Fifty | Sep 05 2019

Last year, approximately 72,000 Americans died from a drug overdose. More than two-thirds of those deaths were related to opioid use disorder Read More

Amid Doctor Shortage, Nurse Practitioners Fill Rural Care Gap

Public News Service | Sep 04 2019

A hospital in Rockingham County is recruiting nurse practitioners to fill in health-care gaps created by a rural doctor shortage. Read More

Why We Need More Nurse Practitioners

Health Works Collective | Aug 25 2019

There is a serious shortage of healthcare professionals in the US healthcare system at the moment and estimates show that this problem is not about to go away anytime soon either. Read More

Your View: Why Pa.‘s nurse practitioners should have more autonomy

The Morning Call | Aug 17 2019

Our state government has the opportunity to do something unprecedented — pass commonsense health care reform with strong bipartisan support that will both reduce health care costs and increase access to quality care. Our state representatives can do this by voting for House Bill 100, which would modernize our state’s nursing law. Read More

Nurse practitioners are already filling gaps created by shortage of primary care physicians: Letter

Cleveland.com | Aug 16 2019

Nurse practitioners have been around for decades, have advanced degrees, often have a special license to write prescriptions, and are able to receive third-party reimbursement independently. Read More

Four Considerations When Building a New Association Headquarters

ASAE | Aug 14 2019

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners’ membership and staff grew rapidly, but its office building did not. AANP’s CEO shares what the group prioritized while building its new headquarters. Read More

Daily on Healthcare: Nurse practitioners fight for more freedom

Washington Examiner | Aug 13 2019

States are slowly moving in the direction of expanding freedoms for nurse practitioners, whose duties are similar to that of physicians in that they can prescribe medication, order tests, refer patients to specialists, and manage treatments. Read More

Addressing the Healthcare Professional Shortage

New Jersey Business Magazine | Aug 09 2019

By 2030, New Jersey is expected to be short 11,000 nurses – the third largest deficit of any state, according to the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. Read More

Nurse practitioners want less physician oversight

WTVF | Aug 06 2019

Some nurse practitioners want state law to change to allow nurses to practice medicine without the oversight of doctors. The Tennessee Nurses Association is pushing for removal of a law that requires nurse practitioners to pay a physician to monitor their clinics. Read More

Arizona’s doctor shortage keeps getting worse. Here’s how we’re tackling it

AZ Central | Aug 05 2019

Arizona is part of a nationwide physician shortage that experts say stands to worsen in the coming years as Baby Boomers reach retirement age. Read More

State should let nurse practitioners prescribe lifesaving drug for opioid users | Opinion

Tennessean | Aug 04 2019

Until Tennessee restrictions are lifted for nurse practitioners to prescribe buprenorphine for opioid use disorder, access to health care is reduced. Read More

Nurse Practitioners May Alleviate Dwindling Physician Workforce in Rural Populations

Clinical Advisor | Jul 31 2019

An aging rural physician workforce is nearing retirement age, leaving the rural population at a disadvantage for access to quality health care. Strategies such as expanding medical education programs to rural areas and utilizing the nurse practitioner (NP) population may forestall the growing disparities in access to health care for people living in nonmetropolitan areas... Read More

The Growing World of Nurse Practitioners

Memphis Magazine | Jul 29 2019

Who are these nurses with all the initials after their names, and what can they do for you? Quite a lot, it turns out. Read More

Nurse practitioners gain ground on full practice authority

Nurse.com | Jul 24 2019

When nurses in Virginia decided to lobby for fewer restrictions on nurse practitioners (NP), they knew any changes to the existing law would require a hard-fought battle with physician groups and legislators opposed to expanding nursing practice authority. Read More

Not Just Doctor’s Helpers: NPs and PAs Are Leaders in Cancer Care

Oncology Nursing News | Jul 23 2019

When people picture the leaders of their cancer care, many may first think of oncologists or physicians. However, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, nurse practitioners actually comprised the largest group of providers for Medicare beneficiaries who received ambulatory care for any solid or hematologic malignancy. Read More

Texas Nurse Practitioners Fight for Full Practice Authority

Nurse.org | Jul 08 2019

Nurse Practitioners (NP) are more likely to work in rural and underserved areas than physicians. According to a study by the University of Michigan, the demand for physicians in rural areas is being filled by nurse practitioners. Read More

One Possible Solution to the Opioid Crisis in the U.S. Has Been Inexplicably Ignored

Time | Jun 24 2019

The President’s Council of Economic Advisors (CEA) just released a new report on how to beat back America’s opioid crisis. Read More

MedPAC Suggests Elimination of Incident To Billing for APRNs, PAs

Recycle Intelligence | Jun 18 2019

CMS should do away with “incident to” billing for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs) and pursue a stay-based payment design when implementing a unified post-acute care (PAC) payment system, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) recently suggested. Read More

Florida needs to decrease infant mortality and improve women’s health

Naples Daily News | Jun 03 2019

Florida is racing towards a severe shortage of qualified nurses and medical caregivers – a shortage that if left unchecked – will greatly reduce the quality of and access to medical care. Read More

Texas lawmakers limit opioid prescriptions for acute pain patients

Lubbock Avalanche-Journal | May 31 2019

Texas lawmakers last month gave final approval to a bill that will limit opioid prescriptions for acute pain to a 10-day supply, one of several measures passed this session aimed at tackling the state’s opioid overdose crisis. Read More

Here’s how Pa. is spending a $56M grant to address opioid addiction

WHYY | May 24 2019

In September 2018, Democratic Governor Tom Wolf’s administration secured the $55.9 million from Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Eight months later, the administration has utilized $32.6 million, according to state data obtained by Transforming Health. Here’s a look at the top three areas of spending. Read More

More mental health treatment sought for children

WPEC | May 23 2019

Florida has an estimated 400,000 children who need behavioral-health services, but 55 percent of them don’t get any treatment, members of a health-care panel were told Thursday. Read More

Community Matters: Nurse practitioners an important part of rural Oklahoma

Stuttgart Daily Leader | May 23 2019

Even though rural Oklahoma has great physicians, hospitals and medical clinics, rural Oklahoma just doesn’t have adequate numbers of health care professionals to cover all of our needs and population. Because of this, nurse practitioners have become an important part of rural Oklahoma. They are vital to the health care needs of our patients. Read More

Nurse Practitioners Say They Want to Do More in Rural Areas

U.S. News & World Report | May 19 2019

Nurse practitioners are playing an increasingly important role in health care as the number of primary care doctors, especially in rural areas, has thinned out Read More

Nurse practitioners can improve Californians’ access to healthcare

Los Angeles Times | May 16 2019

Thanks to the state’s embrace of Obamacare, California has expanded health insurance to millions of uninsured residents over the last five years. But as the number of people covered has grown, so has the strain on the doctors, clinics and hospitals that must respond to the increasing demand for care. Read More

Nurse Practitioners Can Reduce Health Care Costs and Expand Access

Catalyst | May 09 2019

One reform that’s not only financially feasible but can also help ensure access while providing quality care is simply using a resource we already have more fully: Nurse Practitioners (NPs). Read More

Here’s how to overcome California’s health care workforce crisis

CALMatters | May 02 2019

America’s leaders in all fields are at a crossroads, facing immense challenges with no easy answers. How can we address the looming climate change crisis? Read More

Nurse Practitioners Key to Strengthening Louisiana Primary Health Care Access

PR Newswire | Apr 27 2019

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) met in New Orleans, Louisiana to explore the critical role nurse practitioners play in meeting the need for high-quality, patient-centered health care. Read More

Let Nurse Practitioners Expand Access

The Citizen's Voice | Apr 17 2019

Providing adequate access to medical care in rural and poor urban areas is one of the longest-running problems in U.S. health care, and Pennsylvania is a case in point. About 35 percent of state residents have limited access to primary care physicians. Read More

It’s time to expand choice and access to health care | Opinion

Tallahassee Democrat | Feb 26 2019

Florida now ranks among the states with the worst health care access in the nation, according to U.S. News and World Report, besting only Mississippi and Alaska. Read More

Number Of Nurse Practitioners Surpasses 270,000

Forbes | Jan 29 2019

The number of licensed nurse practitioners has set another record, surpassing 270,000, new data shows. Read More

More nurses providing primary care where MDs in short supply

WHBL | Jan 08 2019

(Reuters Health) - A growing number of nurse practitioners are providing primary care in rural and low-income U.S. communities where the physician workforce is shrinking, a new study suggests... Read More

Nurse Practitioners: Meeting the Needs of Rural Veterans

Daily Nurse | Dec 30 2018

VA strives to deliver high-quality, compassionate health care to Veterans across America. We’ve taken great strides to ensure patients living in rural areas have access to a range of care options to best meet their health care needs. Due to VA’s recent “scope of practice” laws—which grant advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) full practice authority... Read More

Nurse practitioner serves around the world

News-Press Now | Oct 07 2018

For the past three decades, Rachel Gunderson has journeyed around the world to serve those in need. The nurse practitioner has gone to places like Ecuador, Guatemala and most recently, Bangladesh... Read More

Nurse Practitioners Can Cure America’s Primary Care Shortage

RealClear Markets | Oct 06 2018

During the first week of October, America celebrates National Primary Care Week, honoring the difficult work that family physicians, pediatricians, and other primary care doctors do every day to provide routine medical care. But, unfortunately for us, there aren’t enough of them to care for our country’s growing medical needs... Read More

Nurse practitioner is a trailblazer with rheumatology practice

WNYT | Oct 02 2018

Rheumatology is a medical specialty focusing on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Most commonly, people with rheumatoid arthritis are treated by these specialists. However, finding care can be difficult as the number of patients is increasing as the number of doctors providing this care is shrinking. That's what makes a local nurse practitioner a unique trailblazer... Read More

Physician Practice Roundup—Congress may expand Sunshine Act to cover nurse practitioners…

Fierce Healthcare | Sep 27 2018

Congress is expected to finalize a new law that will expand the Sunshine Act and require drug companies and medical device manufacturers to disclose payments and gifts made to nurse practitioners and physician assistants... Read More

Nurse Practitioner Writes ‘Nola The Nurse’ Children’s Book Collection

Nurse.org | Sep 22 2018

Many of you were introduced to Dr. Scharmaine Lawson-Baker FNP, FAANP, FAAN in my previous article on how nurse practitioners are redefining affordable healthcare. In addition to being a renowned, award-winning nurse practitioner and entrepreneur she is also the author of the groundbreaking Nola the Nurse series... Read More

Nurse practitioners: A solution to America’s primary care crisis

American Enterprise Institute | Sep 19 2018

For the past few decades, the United States has not produced enough primary care physicians. Moreover, too few physicians practice in rural and medically underserved areas... Read More

California nurse practitioners face challenges in filling primary care gap, study shows

Becker's Hospital Review | Sep 06 2018

California's growing nurse practitioner workforce is essential to filling shortages of primary care physicians, but nurse practitioners are not located where they're needed most, according to a study published in Health Affairs... Read More

Nurse Practitioners provide viable primary care option

WIBW News | Aug 24 2018

If you’re sick and either don’t know well or don’t have a primary care physician, there are other options. “Nurse Practitioners are here to fill those shortages across the country,” said Joyce Knestrick with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. “We have about 248,000 solutions as Nurse Practitioners to the country’s primary care need...” Read More

Nurse Practitioners Group Makes a National Case for It’s Members

Associations Now | Jul 18 2018

AANP’s “We Choose NPs” campaign is designed to show how its members can help close the gap for healthcare workers. Last week, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners launched a national advertising campaign encouraging the public to consider nurse practitioners as primary-care providers... Read More

More Nurse Practitioners Now Pursue Residency Programs To Hone Skills

Kaiser Health News | Jul 03 2018

The patient at the clinic was in his 40s and had lost both his legs to Type 1 diabetes. He had mental health and substance abuse problems and was taking large amounts of opioids to manage pain. He was assigned to Nichole Mitchell, who in 2014 was a newly minted nurse practitioner in her first week of a one-year postgraduate residency program at the Community Health Center clinic in Middletown, Conn... Read More

AANP Launches National Campaign to Coincide with Increasing Numbers

Advance Health Care Network | Jul 03 2018

Total number of NPs in U.S. approaching a quarter million. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is launching a $2 million national advertising and public awareness campaign, as a combination of changing regulations and a greater number of NPs combine to offer patients increased access... Read More

Nurse Practitioners Boost Presence By 43% In Rural America

Forbes | Jun 05 2018

Nurse practitioners have dramatically increased their presence as the go-to primary care providers in rural America thanks in part to regulatory changes that allow patients to more easily see these health professionals... Read More

Nurse Practitioners’ Role in Primary Care

University of Delaware | Jun 04 2018

Primary care is a critical piece of the healthcare puzzle because, for many people, it is the first point of contact with the healthcare system... Read More