As the health care workforce shifts to treat patients in less expensive primary care settings, the number of nurse practitioners has nearly doubled in the last decade to more 200,000, new data shows.
The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) says there are 205,000 licensed nurse practitioners compared to 106,000 in 2004. Such advanced degree nurses perform myriad primary care functions, diagnose, prescribe medications and conduct physical exams.
Federal funding for three programs that enhance access to care in underserved areas while bolstering primary care is set to expire in 2015. That prospect has dozens of medical and other groups urging lawmakers to extend the funding.
The National Health Service Corps has been a key program in offering access to primary care in rural and underserved areas since its establishment in 1972.
President Barack Obama's 2009 stimulus package and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act increased funding for the program, which repays medical education loans for providers working in underserved areas, most at federally qualified community health centers.
Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia M. Burwell announced today that because of to the Affordable Care Act, $283 million has been invested in the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) in fiscal year 2014 to increase access to primary care services in communities that need it most. Today, more than 9,200 Corps clinicians are providing care to approximately 9.7 million patients across the country.
Despite a projected surge in primary care visits as a result of coverage expansion, only one in six recent medical school graduates say they will pursue primary care as their field of residency, survey data from UnitedHealth shows.
Better access to primary care doctors is linked to reduced hospital admissions and emergency department visits, a report from UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Moderation shows.
It’s no secret that America has a shortage of primary care physicians and that the shortage is only going to get worse as the Affordable Care Act provides access to care for more U.S. citizens.
Phoenix has one of the worst physician shortages in the nation, according to a recent BetterDoctor.com ranking.
A bill introduced by John Sarbanes (D-MD) would address the nation's primary care physician shortage by funding pilot programs for mid-career, retired, and retiring physicians to continue practicing medicine.
There's a bill floating around in Congress that addresses the nation's primary care physician shortage.
It's called the Primary Care Physician Reentry Act. It's sponsored by Rep. John P. Sarbanes, (D-MD), and there's plenty to like about it.
