Proposed Policy Change: Address Restrictions on the Roles of NPs and APNs (Other (Not Listed) Sample)

Proposed Policy Change
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Proposed Policy Change
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October 1, 2021
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Dear Federal legislator:
I am writing to propose a policy change to address the restrictions on the roles of nurse practitioners (NPs) and advanced practice nurses (APNs) in certain states. Currently, 44, 34, and 24 percent of states have full, reduced, and restricted practice policies (Peterson, 2017). In both reduced and restricted practice states, nurse practitioners have the authority to perform a minimum of one NP practice component, but the reduced practice requires collaborative agreement with a physician, while restricted practice entails physician supervision, team management, or delegation (Peterson, 2017). Moreover, the two-level fee structure in the Primary Care Health Practitioner Incentive Act hinders APNs from receiving reimbursements independently. The reimbursement issue further restricts APNs from having full autonomy.
The policy change is necessary, as the country faces physician shortages, especially in inner-city and rural areas. Projections show that there will be a 35 percent shortfall of physicians by 2030 (Bosse et al., 2017). Therefore, vulnerable populations such as the LGBT community, low-income earners, and racial and ethnic minorities are not getting comprehensive, quality, cost-effective, and efficient care. Besides, the number of nurses taking APN roles is on the rise, and policy change is crucial to enable them to practice to the full extent of their training and skills. Apart from APNs, other stakeholders that