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Follow on Google News | State Health Insurance Exchanges, Legislation Keep Scope of Practice Issues Front and CenterPatient Access to Health Professionals Will Be Shaped in 2013 Through Policymaking
By: Coalition for Patients’ Rights The National Conference of State Legislatures (http://www.ncsl.org/ For example, a restrictive House bill introduced this month in Iowa would prohibit anyone other than a subgroup of specialty physicians from performing interventional pain management procedures. If passed, the bill would restrict highly qualified certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) from providing these services, which would limit access to care for pain patients in that state, particularly those living in rural and medically underserved areas. CRNAs are the sole providers of anesthesia care for surgical, obstetrical, trauma, and pain management procedures in 88 of Iowa’s 118 community hospitals. Other states such as Tennessee and Missouri have also had restrictive pain management bills introduced in the recent years. In addition to lawmaking efforts, as part of the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) implementation, states are beginning to roll out their health insurance exchanges. These exchanges will provide the framework for access to care, and depending on how they are structured, could promote or limit the access that patients have to a broad array of health professionals providing care and affordable services, such as psychologists, chiropractors and advanced practice registered nurses. Though the ACA was thoughtfully crafted to address the valuable roles that all health professionals play in meeting the growing patient demand for care, the Coalition for Patients’ Rights (CPR) is concerned that more restrictive regulations will be proposed as states move to implement healthcare reform measures. “Patients are the ones who stand to lose if policymakers continue to place restrictions on licensed, certified healthcare professionals,” For consumers who already are navigating a shifting healthcare landscape, the new laws threaten to block affordable access to key members of their healthcare team. If not implemented carefully, state-based health insurance exchanges, which are slated to be up and running by 2014, could steer patients away from health professionals who are educated, licensed and/or certified to provide the care they need by denying coverage. “If we’ve learned anything from the last few years in the healthcare conversation, it’s that care is too often fractured and uncoordinated,” # # # About the Coalition for Patients’ Rights™ A national coalition of more than 35 professional membership organizations, the Coalition for Patients’ Rights (CPR) represents more than three million licensed and certified healthcare professionals who are not medical or osteopathic physicians and is committed to ensuring comprehensive healthcare choices for all patients. Formed in 2006, the Coalition supports a patient’s right to choose the healthcare professional who best meets their health needs. To that end, the CPR advocates for the ability of all healthcare professionals to practice to the full extent of their ability, training, certification and licensure and works to ensure that transparent, patient-centered scope of practice guidelines promote consumer access to safe, high-quality and cost-effective healthcare. The Coalition is comprised of a diverse array of healthcare professionals, including registered nurses, naturopathic doctors, psychologists, speech-language pathologists, audiologists, marriage and family therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, advanced practice registered nurses (certified registered nurse anesthetists, nurse practitioners, certified nurse-midwives and clinical nurse specialists) End
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