HJNO Mar/Apr 2019

Healthcare Journal of NEW ORLEANS I  MAR / APR 2019 29 What are some legislative goals you will be working on with AANP? Beyond working towards modernized licensure across the states, I’d also like to note a recent report issued by HHS in con- junction with other agencies, which says, “States should consider changes to their scope-of-practice [SOP] statutes to allow all healthcare providers to practice to the top of their license,” utilizing their full skill set. The report further notes, “economic analysis indicates that expanding APRN [advanced practice registered nurse] SOP, consistent with APRN education, training and experi- ence, would have clear consumer benefits, particularly in rural and poorer areas.”This is an encouraging signal at the federal level for something we’ve been working hard for in the states. It also helps us communicate other federal priorities, like allowing NPs to prescribe home healthcare, or other critical needs, like diabetic shoes. Do the issues with nurse practitioners differ in Louisiana from the rest of the nation? The legal permission for an NP to prac- tice his or her profession is currently linked to a contract with a physician. Without that contract, patients cannot receive care from an NP. It is a factor in why our state ranks 37th for access to care and 48th for qual- ity of care, according to U.S. News &World Report. When it comes to improving care and increasing access for patients in Loui- siana, particularly in primary care, NPs will be key to that solution. I look forward to the day that Louisiana right-sizes our licensure regulations and patients have full and direct access to NP provided care. What is your opinion of the supply of nurse practitioners in our healthcare system? It’s encouraging to see the unprecedented growth of the NP profession since Loretta Ford founded the first nurse practitioner program at the University of Colorado in 1965. Now there are more than 270,000 NPs nationwide, with NPs in every state and care setting across the country. But, as your read- ers know, our care systems face some very serious challenges and have been turning to NPs as solutions. NPs increase access to quality of care, bettering the affordability and convenience of care for hardworking families; NPs are one of the highest demand health professions. Given NPs expertise in blending clinical excellence with their ability to target and partner with patients around healthcare goals, the move to value-based reimbursement and patient-centered care, the reliance on NPs in the healthcare system will continue to grow. Can you describe the education system for nurse practitioners? Is it more team based? NP education is a rigorous competency- based framework. A prerequisite for being admitted to an NP program is that prospec- tive NPs must hold a bachelor’s degree in nursing and have an RN license. This means that when NP students begin their NP education, they are already independent cli- nicians managing patients, delivering medi- cations, and adjusting treatments. NP grad- uate education builds on that foundation and includes advanced diagnostic, phar- macology and treatment coursework, and clinical rotations. NPs must demonstrate that they have integrated the knowledge and skill and do not progress or graduate simply based on hours spent in rotation. NP education is based on standardized national competencies set by the National Organi- zation of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, and all NP programs are nationally accredited, and those accreditors are accountable to the Department of Education. In addition to the clinical content, NP education incorporates course work for leadership and management of health- care teams and interprofessional care coordination. What are some unique skillsets nurse practitioners possess that are not nor- mally appreciated by the general public as primary care providers? NPs are experts on targeting care for their patients. The science of care—the pathol- ogy, physiology, pharmacology, and rec- ommended treatment guidelines—are the same across all health professions. What sets NPs apart is our added ability to take that shared science and integrate health promotion and disease management coun- seling that is specific to a patient’s life and goals. We are on the frontlines alongside our patients every step of the way. It is the heart and science combination which sets the NP apart in patients’minds. More than 50 years of research has consistently demonstrated this by reporting excellent outcomes and high quality of care provided by NPs. So, as NPs combine the roles of provider, mentor, educator, researcher, manager, and con- sultant, it’s easy to see why we’re quickly becoming the provider of choice, and why patients under the care of NPs have higher patient satisfaction, fewer unnecessary hos- pital readmissions, fewer potentially pre- ventable hospitalizations, and fewer unnec- essary emergency room visits than patients