A new study released by the Pacific Legal Foundation offers up still more evidence for why North Carolina legislators should free up its advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) — which includes nurse practitioners and nurse midwives — from a highly restrictive regulation.
North Carolina is one of just 13 states requiring APRNs to maintain a collaborative practice agreement (CPA), which is a legally binding agreement mandating physician supervision requirements and often stipulating practice settings, permitting medical functions, or prescriptive authority. Not only do these mandatory agreements restrict the scope of practice for APRNs, the agreements can also come with a costly fee imposed upon the nurse.
As such, CPAs likely have a negative impact on the number of practicing nurses while limiting the ability of practicing nurses to serve more patients.
According to the study, mandating CPAs is found to have multiple negative consequences, including “limiting healthcare options for patients and restricting entrepreneurial opportunities for nurses seeking to earn a living independently.”
Moreover, States that grant APRNs full practice authority “show increased access to healthcare and more cost-effective treatment,” including increased healthcare access in underserved communities.
North Carolina’s rural communities, most of which suffer from healthcare provider shortages, would especially benefit. The Locke Foundation has been advocating for years for a SAVE Act, which would grant full practice authority to these highly trained nursing professionals.
Just such a bill has been introduced in both the NC House and Senate this year, but unfortunately both have been stuck in committee.
There are countless government interventions into healthcare that drive up costs and restrict access to care. Mandatory collaborative practice agreements on APRNs is one such intervention. Hopefully legislators will take a closer look at granting our highly trained nurses full practice authority and expand access to care for North Carolinians.
