The Impact of State Nursing Practice Laws on Business
Does modernizing state nursing practice laws impact businesses in America?
The Bay Area Council Economic Institute set out to answer that question, and this page contains whitepapers on what they found.
“Simply put: an inefficient delivery system that unnecessarily restricts health professionals from practicing to the full extent of their training is bad for the economy and bad for business” says one of the reports, “Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost.”
The Institute took a close look at California, Kentucky, Minnesota and New Jersey. It found that businesses would save significant amounts of money in each state if nursing practice policies were modernized to provide consumers more direct access to nurse practitioners.
The reports:
Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost
The Bay Area Council Economic Institute designed a model to measure the value that state nursing scope of practice policies have on businesses’ bottom lines. They applied that model to several states and identified that businesses would save significant money if their respective states’ nursing scope of practice policies were modernized. Below are the original model and the state reports they have produced, to date.
Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost: Spotlight California
If California’s practice restrictions were lifted, there would be an additional 4,000 nurse practitioners working in the state today, an increase of 24 percent.
It is estimated that if California had full practice authority for nurse practitioners it would save $1.8 billion in the cost of preventative care visits in the first 10 years.
Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost: Spotlight Kentucky
If Kentucky’s practice restrictions were lifted, there would be an additional 500 nurse practitioners working in the state today, an increase of 18 percent.
It is estimated that if Kentucky had full practice authority for nurse practitioners it would save over $200 million in the cost of preventative care visits in the first 10 years.
Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost: Spotlight Minnesota
Minnesota granted nurse practitioners full practice authority in the beginning of 2015; if the restrictions were lifted previously, there would be an additional 600 nurse practitioners working in the state today, a 20 percent increase.
It is estimated that Minnesota will save over $250 million in the cost of preventative care visits for the first ten years.
Full Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners Increases Access and Controls Cost: Spotlight New Jersey
If New Jersey’s practice restrictions were lifted, there would be an additional 1,050 nurse practitioners working in the state today, an increase of 25 percent.
It is estimated that if New Jersey had full practice authority for nurse practitioners it would save over $400 million in the cost of preventative care visits in the first 10 years.