CRNA's/NP's/CMS's

[CougRN]

Just something I thought was interesting regarding these nursing professions. Something to think about later this year.

website http://www.johnkerry.com/issues/nurses/

John Kerry will ensure fair treatment for Nurse Practitioners, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Nurse Midwives and Nurse Anesthetists. Numerous studies have shown that advanced practice nurses provide safe and high quality care. It is long past time that the federal government properly recognized the crucial role that APRNs play in the American health care system. John Kerry has supported legislation to expand reimbursement opportunities for APRNs. However, he understands that there is much more to do to end the discrimination and barriers to practice that APRNs face. Too often, APRN services are not reimbursed by third party payers. They aren't on panels that set reimbursement policy or assess care. Highly restrictive limitations on APRN scope of practice persist. These barriers deny health care consumers the widest possible choice of providers. As president, John Kerry will fight for specific legislative and regulatory changes to allow APRNs to practice fully.

Kerry will raise the outrageously low Medicare reimbursement rate for nurse midwives, removing a barrier that prevents CNMs from caring for disabled women. He will fight efforts by the Department of Defense and the VA to utilize underqualifed anesthesiologist assistants as providers of anesthesia care. And John Kerry will push for a change in Medicare rules to allow home health agencies and hospices to accept referrals from nurse practitioners.