The plight to obtain competent primary care for the masses that will be seeking new healthcare over the next few years is the highlight of many political and humanitarian conversations lately. Utilizing the existing non-physician practitioners that stand already in place is a valuable option. Several articles have been written that explain the fight to provide healthcare in light of the upcoming Affordable Care Act and the conflicting sides of how much autonomy to allow an advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to have. There are a variety of boundaries present nationally, however, that have the potential to limit this resource. Gardner (2013) notes many mid-level providers including NPs (nurse practitioners) and PAs (physician assistants) …show more content…
The number of medical graduates that are choosing primary care is less than ten percent in Texas. The Affordable Care Act will add 6 million Texans to the equation in an already strained healthcare system. APRNs are more likely to work in rural underserved areas and the article mentioned studies that have proven that “APRNs provide quality care with no significant difference in patient outcomes, number of prescriptions written, number of return visits, or referrals to other providers.” Fifteen thousand APRNs are standing behind the starting line waiting to help fill in the gap. So what’s holding them back? Texas requirements for having prescriptive authority is stringent. Physicians and medical students oppose the bill that would allow APRNs the ability to “practice to the full extent of their education and training (Peck, 2013).” This would not be so bad if there were not possible ulterior motives for denying the APRNs independence. In Texas, physician collaboration fees that are paid to an MD (medical doctor) to supervise their work range up to $8,000 per month. A physician in Texas who can oversee up to 4 APRNs even at a modest rate can earn $100,000 per year in collaboration fees alone. This is ethically wrong. The Federal Trade Commission is exploring the restrictions that go over and …show more content…
It makes the public aware that though there is an eagerness of APRNs to be ready and educated and beneficial aspects of the answer, there remain obstacles to that in the form of political, medical, and administrative blocks. APRN students should remain encouraged by their career choice and know that the next few years will see the greatest change in APRN practice and utilization the practice has seen since its’