U.S. Reps. Allyson Schwartz (D-Pa.) and Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and 26 co-sponsors have introduced the Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act, which would allow physician assistants, nurse practitioners, clinic nurse specialists and certified nurse midwives to order home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.
According to Schwartz, NPs and PAs are recogniozed by Medicare as authorized providers who are able to order nursing home care for Medicare beneficiaries, but they are not able to order less costly and less intrusive home care services. Even in states that have explicitly expanded their laws to allow other medical providers to order home care, Medicare will not certify payment for these services until a physician signs the order.
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"We have a responsibility to provide America's seniors with high quality healthcare, and a key part of that is ensuring they have timely access to home healthcare services," Schwartz said in a press release. "These valued healthcare professionals play a central role in the delivery of primary care, particularly in medically underserved areas, and are essential to the coordination of team-based care."
"This legislation will help improve access to care," said American Nurses Association President Karen A. Daley in a statement. Advanced practice registered nurses "are a vital source of care with the education and training to facilitate home health plans of care. In order to meet our nation's healthcare needs, an integrated, national healthcare workforce that optimizes utilization of all qualified providers must be put into action."