Nurse practitioners: Pioneers pushing the boundaries

摘要

I recently had the honor of being invited to present a federal legislative update to the Alaska NP Association at their annual conference in Anchorage. What a welcoming and appreciative group of nurse practitioners (NPs)! In Alaska, NPs are essential to health care delivery. A 2009 survey found that of 75 physicians in Anchorage, only 13 primary care physicians were accepting Medicare patients. At the time, about 42% of non-native elders older than 65 lived in Anchorage, and NPs in that city were often the only providers willing to accept Medicare patients. Alaska NPs often work in "the bush" where they are truly the sole source of health care. In July 2008, in a senatorial colloquy supporting the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act, Alaskan United States Senator Lisa Murkowski said, "Some areas of Alaska are so rural and isolated they are primarily served by providers who use airplanes as their mode of transportation. Among these providers are NPs who often are the most accessible providers in some areas of rural Alaska.