Representative information

The enrollment and credentialing process of many insurance plans limit Nurse Practitioner participation in a plan if a collaborating physician is not enrolled and/or participating in the same plan. The limitation significantly decreases access of care for patients, particularly patients living in medically underserved and rural areas. For example, a Nurse Practitioner managed clinic may be the only clinic serving an entire county or population. The clinic may be unable to care for any Medicaid patients if the collaborating physician associated with the provider/clinic does not also enroll his or her private practice in the same Medicaid plan. This policy results in a direct reduction in access to care for vulnerable populations. A solution to this problem is for insurance plans to enroll and credential each health care provider individually, regardless of the collaborating provider's participation in the plan.

To further our mission of improving patient access to quality care, we are requesting legislative changes to ensure health care providers can be enrolled and credentialed with all insurance plans independent of a collaborating provider's enrollment and participation in the same plan. I am asking for your support as we continue to work with our State Representatives in addressing this and other important advance practice issues. Campaign contributions will be collected at the next PNPA meeting on November 13th for two of our local State Representatives instrumental to advance practice efforts in the upcoming session: Four Price and John Smithee. Please join me in the efforts of raising support by way of personal contribution for two of our home town leaders. Holly Jeffreys DNP, APRN, FNP-BC

President note:  if you desire to participate and show support, please make individual checks out to each representative.  We will not have collection for scholarship fund at this meeting. Michael