ANA wants exchanges to have minimum number of RNs

The American Nurses Association wants the federal government to require insurers selling plans on state insurance exchanges to have at least a certain percentage of advanced practice registered nurses in their provider networks.

The ANA proposed the minimum level would be equal to 10% of the number of APRNs who independently bill Medicare Part B in a state. The ANA and other nurse advocates have grown frustrated, saying they've been excluded by lawmakers when it came to the ACA. They say restrictive scope of practice laws—which vary by state and are supported by many state medical societies—prevent APRNs from practicing to the full capacity of their training.

APRNs include nurse practitioners, certified nurse anesthetists, clinical nurse specialists and certified nurse-midwives.

The ANA made the recommendation in comments submitted earlier in July to the CMS regarding a proposed rule governing the exchanges. Health plans would have to meet the nurse staffing requirement to qualify for the exchange.

“Findings from several decades of research consistently demonstrate that APRNs provide safe, quality care with comparable patient outcomes to physicians and even higher patient satisfaction rates,” ANA President Karen Daley said in a news release. “As many more millions of uninsured or underinsured seek primary-care services through these exchanges, they will need access to qualified primary-care providers. That will not happen if private insurers continue to exclude or restrict APRNs from their provider networks.”

The ANA contends that having more APRNs in provider networks will help address the short of primary-care providers, especially for certain patient populations such as the elderly, lower-income groups and rural residents.

Follow Ashok Selvam on Twitter: @MH_aselvam