Nurse Practitioners Applaud SGR Repeal in U.S. House of Representatives
AANP Urges Senate to Act and Pass Medicare Payment Reform
AUSTIN, Texas, March 26, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), the largest professional membership association for nurse practitioners in the country, today congratulated the U.S. House of Representatives for passing the "H.R. 2, Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015" by an overwhelming 392-37 majority.
According to AANP, the bill is imperative to the growing ranks of nurse practitioners, highly educated and clinically trained health care providers delivering vital services to our nation's seniors, as well as other patient populations.
The bill repeals the flawed "sustainable growth rate" (SGR) formula for Medicare Part B, eliminating serious cuts in reimbursement that would have grave consequences for both Medicare recipients and providers, such as nurse practitioners. It also improves health care delivery in ways specific to nurse practitioner patients, including:
- Authorizing nurse practitioners to document evaluations for durable medical equipment
- Including nurse practitioners in the first year of the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS)
- Ensuring that nurse practitioner-led Patient Centered Medical Homes are eligible to receive incentive payments for the management of patients with chronic disease
- Reauthorizing the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) which will ensure access to care is preserved for millions of children, including those who receive needed services from nurse practitioners
"By utilizing provider neutral language and including proposals that reflect the full partnership of nurse practitioners in the Medicare Program, this bill better ensures the unobstructed delivery of the high-quality, cost-efficient health care services that our seniors need," said Ken Miller, PhD, RN, CFNP, FAAN, FAANP, President of AANP.
It is anticipated that the bill will be heard in the Senate this week. AANP urges our U.S. Senators to pass the bill at that time.
Nurse practitioners serve as primary, acute and specialty care providers across the country. They assess, order, perform and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests; make diagnoses; initiate and manage treatment; prescribe medications and non-pharmacologic treatments; and counsel patients, their families and communities. More than 50 years of peer-reviewed, independent research has shown nurse practitioners to be safe and cost-effective clinicians with patient outcomes that are similar and sometimes better than those of physicians.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of more than 205,000 NPs, including approximately 58,000 individual members and 200 organizations, providing a unified networking platform and advocating for their role as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered and personalized health care. The organization provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NP patients and other health care consumers.
For more information visit aanp.org. To locate a nurse practitioner in your area visit npfinder.com.
SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners
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