Dive Brief:
- The Veterans Health Administration's proposal to let advanced practice nurses practice medicine without physician supervision has riled doctors around the country, though nurses favor the move.
- The proposal would recognize 6,135 advanced practice registered nurses, including nurse practitioners, nurses anesthetists, nurse midwives and clinical nurse specialists as independent practitioners who could care for patients at VHA hospitals, clinics and veterans centers without a doctor supervising their work.
- Doctors argue that using nurses this way would eliminate physician-led team-based care in a system where many patients are dealing with physical and mental issues.
Dive Insight:
Nurses and doctors have been battling it out for years over their respective scopes of practice, with results varying state to state. But this could be the catalyst for more sweeping changes. If the VHA goes through with its proposal to turn PAs, NPs and other advanced-practice nurses free from doctor supervision, I predict that a number of states will follow suit.