In 18 states and the District of Columbia, nurse practitioners (NPs) are allowed to treat patients and prescribe medications without a doctor's involvement. Lawmakers in a number of other states are pushing for similar changes to existing laws that place unnecessary barriers in between nurse practitioners and patients.
Last week, Diane Rehm hosted a discussion on the role of nurse practitioners on her nationally-syndicated radio show. Can removing these barriers help NPs address the shortage of primary care physicians? Does a team-based approach including a medical doctor result in better care for patients?
Listen to the show here.
Diane's guests included:
- Dr. Reid Blackwelder: family physician and president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians.
- Mary Agnes Carey: senior correspondent for Kaiser Health News.
- Ken Miller: nurse practitioner, associate dean at The Catholic University of America School of Nursing, and president-elect of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
- Sandra Nattina: nurse practitioner at Columbia Medical Practice in Columbia, Md., and past president of Nurse Practitioner Association of Maryland.
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