On February 3-5 – Moore On Health had the pleasure to join over 300 other Nurse Practitioners in Washington D.C at the 2019 AANP Health Policy Conference. During the conference we heard from policy and legislative strategy experts on issues limiting access to care. Every day, we should be working to create positive changes to the health care system, eradicating antiquated regulatory process and increasing direct access to care for the community at large.

Presently our federal legislative policy priorities are:

• Authorize NPs to Certify Patient Eligibility for Medicare and Medicare Home Health Services
• Authorize the assignment of NP patients to Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)
• Ensure Patients with Diabetes Have Timely Access to Therapeutic Shoes
• Authorize NPs to Certify Medicare Patients for Hospice Care
• Authorize NPs to Perform Admitting Examinations and All Required Patients Assessments in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs)

AANP supports legislation and regulatory changes which removes barriers to practice so that NPs can practice to their full scope, ensuring that patients have access to these much needed high quality, cost effective, health care services. NPs are a critical part of the solution to our nation’s health care needs.

Question: How are our advocating to strength the NP profession and increases full and direct access to care?

If you did not attend the 2019 AANP Health Policy Conference you can still participate and help eradicate antiquated process that creates barriers to practice.

• Ask your Senators to cosponsor Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act (S. 296) – Click HERE
• Ask your Members of Congress cosponsor S. 237/H.R. 808 which would authorize nurse practitioners (NPs) to certify their patient’s need for therapeutic shoes. – Click HERE
• Encourage Members of Congress to Cosponsor H.R. 900 to Allow NP Patients to be Counted in ACOs – Click HERE

As nurse leaders, NPs must be involved in health policy. The NPs who advocate for major health policies can influence countless people throughout their state and the nation, depending on the level of the health policy.

Involvement in health policy is the most important role an NP can have in impacting positive change in health care that will benefit multiple generations of patients across institutions, states, the nation, and even globally.