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Physician: Give NPs more authority
Expanding the scope of practice of nurse practitioners will help alleviate the shortage in primary care doctors and reduce health care costs, physician John W. Rowe writes. Opposition from medical groups is an obstacle to progress despite analyses that show giving NPs more authority doesn't affect physician incomes, Rowe writes

Up to half of HRSA scholarship program funds will go to NP students
The Health Resources and Services Administration opened on Tuesday the application cycle for this year's Nursing Scholarship Program. Because of the rising demand for nurse practitioners, the agency is reserving as much as half of the scholarship funds for students taking a master's level nurse practitioner degree.  Click headline to read the whole story.

 Health care reform calls for bigger NP role

The health care reform law may require nurse practitioners to play a bigger role in primary care to address the growing shortage of physicians in the country. NPs have advanced training and can prescribe drugs, and their services cost less than those of doctors, but state proposals to allow NPs to practice to the full extent of their training have been a "turbulent political issue," according to a spokeswoman for the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Advanced practice nurses see push toward DNP, report says  (click here)
Doctor of nursing practice degrees will be strongly encouraged for advanced practice nurses who work with other nurses to improve patient outcomes, according to U.S. News & World Report. Kathleen Potempa, president of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, says advanced practice nurses need to understand "systems of care," leadership, and quality and safety metrics

CBO: Federal health care spending will double by 2022

An aging population and increased treatment costs will drive up federal spending on health care by at least 8% annually over the coming decade, the Congressional Budget Office predicts. Other factors contributing to the increase include federal subsidies to help low-income citizens buy insurance and a halt to a planned 27% reduction in Medicare reimbursement rates to doctors, the CBO said 

NPAM Past President Dr Jane Kapustin Appointment 

NPAM is proud to announce another important appointment of a  Maryland NP.  Former NPAM President  and current UM SON Assistant Dean of the Masters and DNP programs, Dr Jane Kapustin has been appointed  by Maryland DHMH Secretary Josh Sharfstein to the Health Care Delivery Reform Subcommittee.  There are about 25 people on the committee (John Colmers, Dan Morheim, John Shematec,  among others)  The Subcommittee met this weekend in Annapolis.  

Dr Kapustin is the sole NP  and, needless to say,  made a special point to the group about that. She told them she was representing NPAM and UMSON as NPs provide huge percentage of primary care in MD, especially for disenfranchised populations.  Three of the docs approached Dr Kapustin after the meeting to express  how much they appreciate NPs and enjoy working with them, an unexpected yet graciously received acknowledgement of the focus that NPs and MDs should have - patient care.   

Dr Kapustin  will keep us posted, as the subcommittee will meet again in April. The mission is to monitor health care innovations for access to care models, unique ways to finance health care, and strategies for integrating care.  The Triple Aim was discussed at length.    Congratulations to Dr Kapustin and congratulations to NPAM for continuing to shine a spotlight on NPs in Maryland as well as our great organization.

2012 AANP Nurse Practitioner State Award for Excellence

NPAM's own President Elect Shannon Idzik has been recognized by AANP!  Dr Idzik will be recognized at the June 2012 AANP conference.  She will continue the tradition of excellent leaders for Maryland and NPAM.  Congratulations!

An effective option for aiding high-risk patients suffering from cardiovascular disease may be an individualized treatment plan from a nurse-led team focused on reducing heart disease risk factors. 

NPs with home-based experience eligible for CMS pilot

CMS has announced a new demonstration program that would provide a complete range of home-based primary care services to chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries. The Independence at Home demonstration program will provide incentives to health care providers who will be able to provide high quality care while cutting Medicare costs. Medical practices with providers or nurse practitioners who have experience in providing primary care at home are eligible to participate in the program.

Resources for APRNs and Registered Nurses on Electronic Records, e-prescribing, “Meaningful Use” and Tele-health  (click here)

Consensus Model Info

65 hospitals awarded Leapfrog's "top hospital" honor
Leapfrog Group has released this year's list of hospitals awarded the organization's "top hospital" honor based on quality standards driven by health IT use. Metrics include medical errors, mortality rates for high-risk treatments and readmissions. Sixty-five of the almost 1,200 participating hospitals earned a spot on the list this year, the same number as last year. ** Special note of congratulations to Anne Arundel Medical Center and University of Maryland Medical Center!

APRN Consensus Model

The APRN Consensus Model, which was developed in 2008 and accepted by all the national advanced practice nursing organizations, is starting to be implemented. NPAM has brought this information to you in the past through the Oracle, Guidebook, and speakers at membership meetings and conferences <provide link to old Oracle article> and will keep you posted as it is phased in. For many NPs, there is no change. For psychiatric NPs in the future, the national certification will be family, rather than pediatric and adult.  For future adult NPs and geriatric NPs, the certification will be combined adult and geriatric. All current nationally certified NPs will be grandfathered in and not have to go through any other requirements to renew certification, unless certification lapses.  The purpose of the Consensus Model is to make certification uniform and broad at the national certification level and based on population focused groups, rather than specialties within groups. Further specialization may occur, but not at the national certification level. Here is some information from ANCC, one of the national certifying bodies.   APRN FAQ, PMH sample letter, Gero Sample letter

NPAM CONFERENCE 11/12/11

NPAM honors Lt Governor Anthony Brown at Nov. 12, 2011 Conference

NPAM President Elect Shannon Idzik, Maryland Lt Gov Anthony Brown, NPAM Past President Sandra Nettina and NPAM President Susan Delean-Botkin at the NPAM Conference Healthcare Practice and Policy - the Maryland Patient and You.  

NP Headlines of the Week

100,000 sought for next phase of Nurses' Health Study
A new batch of 100,000 female nurses ages 20 to 46 is being recruited for the ongoing Nurses' Health Study, which has provided data on many diseases and health issues since the 1970s. The Nurses' Health Study III will look at health care issues related to the environment, work life, fertility and lifestyle, and will be done entirely online. 

Physician Assistant and Advance Practice Nurse Care in Hospital Outpatient Departments: United States, 2008–2009  NCHS News Brief November 2011

Key findings

• Hospital outpatient department visits attended only by physician assistants (PAs) or advance practice nurses (APNs) increased by 50% from 2000–2001 (10%) through 2008–2009 (15%).

• The more urban the hospital location, the lower the percentage of visits seen only by PAs or APNs; decreasing from 36% in nonmetropolitan areas to 6% in large central metropolitan areas.

• A higher percentage of PA- or APN-only visits were to general medicine (21%) and obstetric or gynecology (19%) clinics compared with pediatric (8%) and surgical (5%) clinics.

• PAs and APNs saw a higher percentage of visits where a new problem was the major reason for the visit (22%) compared with visits for a chronic condition [routine (11%) or flare-up (14%)], or pre- or postsurgery care (6%).

AHRQ documents the need for primary care providers

Just more than half of nearly 956 million visits to health care providers in the U.S. in 2008 were to primary care providers, according to a report by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Researchers also found that 52% of nurse practitioners and 43.4% of physician assistants practiced primary care in 2010. However the country's primary care network is suffering from declines in profitability and higher workforce attrition due in part to decreased recruitment of new physicians, nurses and physician assistants, the agency reported. Modern Healthcare (free registration) 

Visiting NP helps patients avoid costly emergency care

Nurse practitioner Anita Foster of the Greater Newark Health Care Coalition, a group funded in part by the Visiting Nurse Association Health Group, provides needed follow-up care for chronically ill, uninsured and homeless patients and helps them avoid costly visits to the emergency department. "I don't judge at all, but I help," said Foster. "I don't push, but I'm tenacious."

Community Catalyst
Community Catalyst is a national non-profit advocacy organization working to build the consumer and community leadership that is required to transform the American health system. They recently released a  Medicaid Cost Containment Tool Kit that advocates increases use of Nurse Practitioners to expand primary care.  Information specific to the state of Maryland can be found at: http://www.communitycatalyst.org/resources/medicaid_report_card/state?id=0020 The Full report is available at:  http://www.communitycatalyst.org/resources/medicaid_report_card/state?id=0035

ANA commends final regulations for ACOs  (click for story)
The ANA has praised CMS for expanding the roles of registered nurses under the final rules for accountable care organizations. However, ANA has asked for greater recognition of the importance of care coordination by nurses. "The changes between the proposed and final ACO rules reflect the positive influence nursing organizations can exert on the way health care is delivered in this country," ANA CEO Marla J. Weston said

 CMS sends e-prescribing warning letters to providers  (click for story)
The CMS is sending letters to health care providers warning them of a possible 1% Medicare payment reduction if they fail to meet e-prescribing requirements. Providers have until Nov. 1 to apply for a hardship exemption to the rule, and Medicare personnel will call those who tried unsuccessfully to comply with the requirements

National Provider Call on Physician Quality Reporting System & Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a national provider call on the Physician Quality Reporting System & Electronic Prescribing Incentive Program on Tuesday, October 18 from 1:30-3pm ET. To register, go to http://www.eventsvc.com/blhtechnologies/. The presentation will be posted at least one day before the call at:  http://www.cms.gov/PQRS/04_CMSSponsoredCalls.asp in the “Downloads” section on the CMS website.

NPAM Leading the way in Maryland
Shannon Idzik, NPAM president-elect, is leading a subgroup of the Maryland Action Coalition to remove scope-of-practice barriers in nursing. The subgroup’s goals for the upcoming year include developing a coalition representative of all advanced practices nurse in the State of Maryland, implementing provider neutral language in local, state and industry initiatives and supporting legislation to implement the National Council of State Boards of Nursing Model Practice Act in Maryland. Use this link to read the article about the national Campaign - they give Maryland a shout out as one of 21 states they have added to the campaign. Great job Shannon and NPAM!!

http://www.nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-news/Campaign-for-Action-Names-21-New-State-Action-Coalitions_37952.aspx