Explanation of how healthcare policy can impact the advanced practice nurse profession

Explanation of how healthcare policy can impact the advanced practice nurse profession

Healthcare policy has a huge impact on advanced nurse practitioners in their scope of

practice. Outdated states and federal policies affect the day-to-day practice of NPs and

potentially prevent accountable and safe care (Poghosyan, 2018). Health policy can impact how

ANPs practice can be encouraged or discourage nurses to become APNs. Lawmakers decided at

the state and federal level how much NPs should get reimbursed for their service. Healthcare

systems are rapidly developing and changing, but still, there are many barriers at the federal,

state, and organizational levels that affect the ability of NP to care for the American public safely

and cost-effectively, (Poghosyan, 2019). The state-to-state difference scope of practice also

impacts the ANP profession. Also, noncompetitive primary care market in which current

reimbursement-driven policies involve rigid price-setting restrictions in NP service

reimbursement. Healthcare policy can impact the advanced practice nurse profession a physician

to collaboration and a limited pool of physicians and restriction on how many NPs each

physician could oversee (CDC, n.d.). The federal, state, and organizational barriers affecting NPs

and mechanisms through which they also affect access to and quality care, patient outcome, and

NPs job dissatisfaction and turnover are critical factors in workforce management (Poghosyan,

2018).

Currently, 22 states have approved full practice status for nurse practitioners, other states

may have reduced or restricted practice. For decades, the rural areas across the United States

have experienced a persistent shortage of primary care providers, leaving rural residents at great

risk for health problems and illness complications (Ortiz et al, 2018). The big impact of nurse

practitioners on health care cost, delivering quality, patient-centered accessible, and affordable

care. Nurse play a role in influencing policy, working with state nursing organizations, nurse

practitioners can directly influence policies that relate to both scopes of practice and education

( Coloff, 2020). At the state level and national level, all NPs need to work together and take a

stand and work with an organization such American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP),

to call lawmakers to amended the Nurse Practice Act and Advise the scope of practice for NPs.

The New Jersey State Nurse Association (NJSNA) working toward to removal of joint protocol

for advance practice nurses, the bill S-1961, would remove the requirement of collaborating

agreement (NJSNA, 2019