Elevating Primary Care at the PCPCC Annual Conference
AANP was pleased to represent NPs at the Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative (PCPCC) Annual Conference.
With “Key Policies to Elevate Primary Care” as its theme, the 2018 PCPCC Annual Conference was the place to be for educational sessions and in-depth, interdisciplinary discussion on primary care. The agenda provided a look into policy, including a reflection on the midterm elections and examination of the current administration’s primary care policy priorities.
Health technology, insurance and health care employers spoke on innovation and transformation within primary care, as well as the need to move towards a patient-centered, team-based and community-aligned model. In addition, attendees heard from patients who have worked to influence primary care in order to better address more diverse patient needs.
Rounded out by opportunities to meet with leaders in the field, the annual conference celebrates achievements, encourages new ideas and supports primary care providers and the patients they serve. As The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP is honored to be included at the table to advocate for NPs and their patients—and to showcase the important role NPs play in primary care and health care leadership.
AANP Member in the News
Congratulations to AANP member Scharmaine Lawson, DNP, FNP-BC, FAANP, FAAN, CEO of Advanced Clinical Consultants, for being awarded PCPCC’s Primary Care Community/Research Leadership Award for her inspiring work in New Orleans.
After starting the first NP-led house call practice in Louisiana in 2004, Dr. Lawson devoted herself to the New Orleans community. “I realized quality care, delivered in the home was something that the community desperately needed,” said Dr. Lawson. “It allowed me to provide exposure for the NP role and do what NPs do best: prescribe, treat, consult, assess and devise a plan for improved outcomes in the community.”
After Hurricane Katrina, more patients turned to Dr. Lawson, who then expanded her practice through her best-selling book, “Housecalls 101: The Only Book You Will Ever Need to Start Your Housecall Practice,” and The Housecall Course, which is designed to expose clinicians to the role of the NP in home care and give them the nuts and bolts of how to start, maintain and grow a house call practice. For children, Dr. Lawson explains the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) while fostering a culture of sensitivity and exposing children to diverse experiences and cultures in her series Nola the Nurse.
“Primary care is where health care begins. PCPCC has amassed the top primary care professionals in the nation into one bipartisan organization that works together to make health care better, safer and more accessible to Americans,” said Dr. Lawson. “As NPs, we’re often on the front lines. To be in an environment where your fellow attendees understand the unique challenges of primary care was extremely gratifying and rewarding. The synergy was electric. I’m so happy and honored to have attended, and I look forward to networking with my fellow attendees for many years to come.”
“The PCPCC Annual Conference continues to be an opportunity for AANP—and NPs—to be involved in groundbreaking issues in primary care,” said David Hebert, CEO of AANP. “Dr. Lawson is an exceptional NP whose work, practice and commitment directly align with PCPCC’s vision for primary care. Dr. Lawson is the epitome of a team-based, community-aligned health care provider. AANP is delighted that she is being honored in such a meaningful way.”
Additional Resources
- Meet Scharmaine Lawson: Learn more about Dr. Lawson’s vision for and dedication to home health care in New Orleans in the digital series Modern Hero®.
- Shared Principles of Primary Care: Developed by stakeholders representing all aspects of health care, these principles are designed to support the move towards patient-centered, team-based and community-aligned primary care.
- Nurse Practitioners in Primary Care position statement: Gain insight into how NPs are vital to primary care delivery and the role they play in making high-quality, patient-centered health care available to the broadest possible range of consumers.
- Nurse Practitioners: A Solution to America’s Primary Care Crisis: This report, released by the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), finds NPs to be a key solution to America's primary care crisis.