By the Texans for Healthcare Access Coalition.
Texas has a shortage of healthcare providers.
TEXAS ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSES CAN HELP.
HOW DO APRNS HELP?
APRNs Practice Where They are Needed Most
A study in the Annals of Family Medicine found that "compared with primary care physicians overall, nurse practitioners and certified nurse-midwives also tended to have a greater proportion of their members in rural areas and Health Professional Shortage Areas."
APRNs are Cost Effective
Study after study shows that APRNs are uniquely suited to reduce healhtcare costs. In one assessment, UnitedHealth showed that Nurse Practitioners could reduce the cost of skilled nursing by $166 billion dollars over 10 years.
APRNs Are Prepared
The top 25 diagnoses for primary care visits are all items that APRNs routinely treat today. When a patient has a condition an APRN is unable to treat, the APRN will do the same thing as a primary care physician: refer the patient to a specialist.
DELEGATION REMOVAL LEGISLATION WILL IMPROVE HEALTH CARE ACCESS BY ENDING COSTLY AND BURDENSOME REGULATIONS.
TEXAS REGULATIONS HAVEN'T KEPT PACE WITH U.S. HEALTHCARE CHANGES
Over half the country allows APRNs to practice to the full extent of their licensure and training without forcing the APRN to get a delegation agreement from a physician. All branches of the military also allow APRNs to practice without physician delegation, the VA adopted full practice authority for APRNs in 2016.
TEXAS REGULATIONS DRIVE UP COSTS THAT FORCE APRNS TO Go Out-of-State
The cost of delegation agreements is a hidden tax on health care, diverting millions of dollars and thousands of hours every year from direct patient care. There are overhead costs for an APRN’s employer, costs to physicians and APRNs in the hours they have to spend maintaining their delegation agreements instead of providing patient care, and direct out-of-pocket costs to
APRNs. According to a 2018 study, one in five APRNs reported having to pay for their practice agreement, averaging $6,000 annually with some respondents paying close to $50,000 a year. APRNs in primary care and mental health – two areas that face critical shortages – reported paying the most. This needless cost is driving APRNs to states where they don't have to pay a physician to let them do their job. Read the story of a Nurse Practitioner who left Texas to start a clinic in a state that allows her to practice to the full extent of her training and education.
QUESTIONS?
Have a question about APRNs or our campaign for full practice authority for APRNs? Contact us at admin@texans4healthcareaccess.org.