Healthcare Reforms May Open Doors for Nurse Practitioners (250 hits)
Dee Swanson, RN, MSN, NP-C, FAANP, president of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, recently saw a patient in her 60s who had been suffering from ******l bleeding for a year. The woman had not pursued medical care for one reason: she was uninsured.
Swanson knew the condition could be serious, as ******l bleeding in postmenopausal women is usually a sign of uterine cancer, she says. The woman likely would need a Pap smear, endometrial biopsy and pelvic ultrasound to determine the cause of her bleeding, but she did not have the financial resources to pay for the necessary tests.
Swanson, a nurse practitioner at Salt Creek Family Practice in Nashville, Ind., sees many people who face similar dilemmas. Swanson typically has to refer these patients to a clinic that offers care to the uninsured, but changes on the national level give Swanson hope that there may soon be more options for patients such as this woman.
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the healthcare reform package that was approved in March, will pave the way for more than 30 million Americans to gain health insurance in the next few years.
Although media reports have fueled fears that this influx of newly insured patients could create a physician shortage, nurse leaders such as Swanson suggest advanced practice nurses are poised more than ever to meet that need.
“We have to stop thinking healthcare is all about physicians,” Swanson says. “There will continue to be a shortage of healthcare providers if we look at physicians as the only providers who can care for new patients. Nurse practitioners can help these patients, and there is evidence that they provide high quality and safe care.”
