AANP Commends Gov. Hochul’s Plan to Increase Access to Health Care
AUSTIN, TEXAS — The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is pleased to see provisions in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s 2022 State of the State proposal that would remove obstacles for New Yorkers who need high-quality health care. The governor is proposing legislation to eliminate the requirement for nurse practitioners (NPs) to have a written practice agreement with a physician.
“AANP applauds Gov. Kathy Hochul for recognizing that New York residents deserve to have better access to the health care provider of their choice,” said April N. Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, president of AANP. “For the past two years, patients have experienced full and direct access to the services NPs provide as executive orders waived unnecessary requirements for NPs to maintain a collaborative relationship in order to care for patients. Governor Hochul’s State of the State specifically calls out her desire to permanently remove this obstacle for New Yorkers accessing health care.
“Research shows states that have eliminated this outdated regulatory requirement have improved health care access, decreased rebound hospitalizations and achieved cost savings. To date, 24 states and the District of Columbia have modernized their laws, and patients in those states can directly access NPs who diagnose, treat, prescribe medications and manage health care needs.
“New York has test driven this regulatory model for two years and it’s been successful. It’s a step in the right direction to see the governor make removing unnecessary regulation and increasing access to care priorities in her agenda.”
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The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 325,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. To locate an NP in your community, visit npfinder.com. For more information about NPs, visit aanp.org. For COVID-19 information from AANP, visit aanp.org/COVID19.