When New York Gov. Kathy Hochul signed the state budget into law, it secured improved health care access for residents in the state. New York joins 24 other states, the District of Columbia and two U.S. territories in adopting Full Practice Authority (FPA) legislation. The legislative action enables nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide the full scope of services they are educated and clinically trained to provide. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) commends Gov. Hochul and the New York Legislature for modernizing nursing licensure law and positioning New York for a healthier future.
“New York has taken a critical step forward in our country, increasing access to vital health care services. New Yorkers will now have full and direct access to the comprehensive care NPs provide,” said April N. Kapu, DNP, APRN, ACNP- BC, FAANP, FCCM, FAAN, president of AANP. “Over the past two years, New York has waived unnecessary and outdated laws limiting access to health care. AANP applauds the state legislature and Gov. Hochul for recognizing that these provisions need to continue. These changes will help New York attract and retain nurse practitioners and provide New Yorkers better access to quality care,” said Kapu.
FPA is the authorization of NPs to evaluate patients; diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests; initiate and manage treatments; and prescribe medications, all under the exclusive licensure authority of the state board of nursing. This framework eliminates unnecessary, outdated regulatory barriers that prevent patients from accessing these vital care services directly from NPs. Leading health policy experts like the National Academy of Medicine have long recommended that states adopt such legislation to improve health care access and outcomes.
“As the 25th state with Full Practice Authority, New York joins an expanding list of states acting to retire outdated laws that have needlessly constrained their health care workforce and limited patient access to care,” said Jon Fanning, MS, CAE, CNED, chief executive officer of AANP. “This is a no-cost, no-delay solution to strengthening health care for the nation. Decades of research show that states with Full Practice Authority are better positioned to improve access to care, grow their workforce and address health care disparities, while delivering quality health outcomes for patients. We look forward to more states following suit.”
NPs deliver high-quality health care in more than 1 billion patient visits each year. As of April 2022, there are more than 355,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. providing care in communities of all sizes across the nation. Recently, U.S. News and World Report ranked the NP role first on its 2022 Best Health Care Jobs list.
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