Expanding Primary Care Availability With Nurse Practitioners

Steps for Expanding Nurse Practitioner Offices

The proposed primary care practices can affiliate with hospitals, medical groups, existing neighborhood clinics and others to obtain services for their patients that they do not have the capacity to offer. Contracts linking nurse practitioner offices with state Medicaid might be the best and least expensive way to provide badly needed ongoing care for the Medicaid population. Third party payers may find this an easier and less expensive way to offer primary care to enrollees if they are willing to participate in the establishment of such arrangements. Expectations and standards as to how this care is to be provided could be written into contracts and might result in primary care being available to people who previously lacked access to it in both rural and urban areas. Access to care for defined populations, contracted for by Medicaid programs, insurers, HMOs, employers and various providers must include safeguards to prevent fraud or under and over treatment.