The use of NPs and PAs in Nursing Homes is growing

Using data from the Online Survey Certification and Reporting system and Medicare Part B claims on the use of nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) between 2000 and 2010, a paper by Intrator et al. (2015) finds: [Nursing homes] NHs using any NPs/PAs increased from 20.4 to 35.0 percent during 2000–2010. Average NP/PA [visit per bed year]…

Scope of Practice for NPs and PAs

This blog has been a proponent of increased use of nurse practitioners and physician assistants to reduce the cost of health care.  However, do they really reduce the cost of care?  On the one hand, NPs and PAs cost less than physicians.  On the other hand, if patients must visit an NP/PA and then a…

Nurse Practitioner Popularity Grows

Patients generally prefer physicians to nurse practitioners (NP) or physicians assistants (PA) assuming a visit to either costs the same.  However, what happens when one takes into account waiting times? A paper by Dill et al. (2013) reveals the following: Respondents were given a choice between seeing a physician assistant or nurse practitioner today or a physician…

In which states do nurse pracitioners have the broadest scope of practice?

A July 2012 IOM report recommends changing state laws to allow “nurse practitioners and physician assistants to practice to the full extent of their educational preparation.”  Based on information from the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), not all states currently allow permit NPs this flexibility. Currently 16 states and the District of Columbia (see below)…