Removing the supervision requirement for nurse anesthetists and granting nurse practitioners more authority would lower healthcare costs and provide more health coverage for patients, according to John Rowe, MD, a professor in the department of health policy and management at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health.
"Allowing well-trained APRNs to handle routine care frees up physicians to focus on diagnostic dilemmas and more complex management issues while dramatically reducing waiting times for care," Dr. Rowe wrote in an Atlantic editorial. "Expanding nursing scope of practice not only can help fill the gap in primary care providers, but it can save money as well. RAND estimates that in Massachusetts, using nurse practitioners to their full capacity could save the state between $4.2 and $8.4 billion over ten years."
Blood Usage Varies Widely Among Physicians, Study Says
What the Proposed 60-Day Overpayment Refund Rule Means for Anesthesia Practices
"Allowing well-trained APRNs to handle routine care frees up physicians to focus on diagnostic dilemmas and more complex management issues while dramatically reducing waiting times for care," Dr. Rowe wrote in an Atlantic editorial. "Expanding nursing scope of practice not only can help fill the gap in primary care providers, but it can save money as well. RAND estimates that in Massachusetts, using nurse practitioners to their full capacity could save the state between $4.2 and $8.4 billion over ten years."
Related Articles on Anesthesia:
Anesthesiologists Playing Greater Role in Stroke CareBlood Usage Varies Widely Among Physicians, Study Says
What the Proposed 60-Day Overpayment Refund Rule Means for Anesthesia Practices