February 2018 – Moore On Health attended the 2018 AANP Health Policy Conference in Washington D.C. and looking forward to the 2019 conference. There are over 230,000 Nurse Practitioners in the United States and each one of us should be a member of a local and/or national organization that supports, advocates and strengthens our advanced practice registered nursing profession. Nurse practitioners (NPs) have the clinical expertise and the educational background to advocate for the health care community at large. NPs are on the front lines of health care and can relate personal experiences regarding how legislation can impact our patients. If you are not a member of a local and/or national organization, then allow me to encourage you to join one TODAY! 

Be Brave Be Bold but Be Kind as we stand up to eradicate the unnecessary barriers preventing full direct access to care. 

Every NP must be involved in health policy at some level. Our job is not only in the hospital, clinic, home visit or classroom. We also have a duty to provide impactful positive change in health care that will benefit multiple generations. We are leaders in the nursing profession on the front lines delivering evidence based practice care, but together we can significantly improve the health of patients through our involvement on health care policies. Let us not struggle with who’s at the table but make the table large for all APRNs. One Voice One Profession One Mission – full direct access to care for the community at large. 

The federal policies that we urged the 115th Congress to improve patient access to less costly, more efficient health care, by taking action to address the following priorities: 

Cosponsor S. 445/H.R. 1825 to Amend Title XVIII of Social Security Act to Ensure Moe Timely Access to Home Health Services for Medicare Beneficiaries Under the Medicare Program. This Legislation Would Authorize Nurse Practitioners (NPs) to Certify Patient Eligibility for Medicare Home Health Services.

Cosponsor H.R. 1160 to improve the way beneficiaries are assigned under the Medicare shared saving program. This legislation would allow the assignment of Nurse Practitioner patients to Medicare shared saving ACOs. 

Cosponsor H.R. 1617 to Ensure Diabetic Patient’s Access to Therapeutic Shoes

We encourage Congress to craft legislation that: protects patient choice by ensuring that health care delivered by Nurse Practitioner is covered by insurance and other healthcare options. We have more than 50 years of peer-reviewed, independent research showing Nurse Practitioners to be safe and cost-effective clinicians, with patient outcomes that are similar and sometimes better than those of physicians.