Lenient NP scope-of-practice laws can ease physician shortage

As the debate over increasing nurse practitioners’ (NP) scope of responsibility intensifies, a new study published in the July issue of Health Affairs found that easing state guidelines limiting scope of practice can ease the impact of the shortage of primary care physicians.

Researchers from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, used a national sample of Medicare beneficiaries to assess the impact of state regulations on the increase in care provided by NPs in the U.S. They found that nearly 3% of the Medicare beneficiaries in the sample had an NP as their primary care provider in 2010, up from 0.2% in 1998. The percentage varied by state, from a low of 0.8% in Hawaii to 14.8% in Alaska. The rate of increase was greatest in states that allowed NPs to practice and prescribe without physician supervision, according to the study.