New York Latest To Lift Hurdle To Nurse Practitioners During Pandemic

New York is the latest in a growing number of states giving direct access to nurse practitioners thanks to legislation eliminating hurdles for patients who need primary care, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, signed into law legislation this past weekend as part of the New York state budget, that allows nurse practitioners to practice independently, no longer requiring supervision by a physician. There are now 25 states plus the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories that have awarded full practice authority to NPs.

“New York has taken a critical step forward in our country, increasing access to vital health care services,” said April N. Kapu, president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP). “New Yorkers will now have full and direct access to the comprehensive care NPs provide.”

Nurse practitioners are educated to perform myriad primary care functions, diagnose, prescribe medications and conduct physical exams, but state scope-of-practice laws often prevent them from such care unless they have an agreement with an overseeing physician. AANP said full practice authority is “the authorization of NPs to evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests, initiate and manage treatments, and prescribe medications under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing.”

As retail clinics like those run by CVS Health’s MinuteClinic business have proliferated while hospitals and health systems embrace a team-based approach to medical care delivery, patients have become more familiar with nurse practitioners as an option to a busy doctor’s office and quick access to treat routine maladies.

During the pandemic in particular, nurse practitioners have been key to administering vaccines and booster shots to combat Covid-19 while states have increasingly expanded the ability of NPs, pharmacists and pharmacy techs to administer vaccines in recent years.

State lawmakers and health policy makers during the pandemic found nurse practitioners were needed to increase access to primary care and vaccinations amid a shortage of doctors and other healthcare workers. Thus, several states in the last two years like New York had waived laws limiting access to healthcare professionals via executive orders and other actions legislature are now making permanent.

“As the 25th state with full practice authority, New York joins an expanding list of states acting to retire outdated laws that have needlessly constrained their health care workforce and limited patient access to care,” AANP’s chief executive Jon Fanning said. “This is a no-cost, no-delay solution to strengthening health care for the nation.”

Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus