American Association Of Nurse Practitioners Release Statement On New Medicare Executive Order

AUSTIN, Texas – Last week, the president of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Sophia L. Thomas, issued the following statement regarding President Trump’s executive order, entitled Protecting and Improving Medicare for our Nation’s Seniors.   

“We applaud the Administration’s continued efforts to ensure access to high-quality care is at the center of our health care system and that care is not hampered by outdated barriers to practice. We wholeheartedly agree that all health care providers should practice at the top of their licenses, and outdated burdensome requirements can no longer stand in the way of them utilizing their full skill set,” said Sophia L. Thomas, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, president of AANP.

“We thank the President and his Administration for proposing common-sense solutions that strengthen health care for seniors. We urge the Secretary to move forward to implement the intent of this executive order. We look forward to working together to increase patient access to affordable, high-quality care across the country,” said David Hebert, CEO of AANP. “AANP stands ready to work on these important issues ensuring patients have access to health care delivered by their provider of choice.”

The executive order directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services to propose a regulation that enables providers to spend more time with patients by eliminating burdensome regulatory requirements, authorizing all providers to practice at the top of their profession, ensuring appropriate reimbursement for all providers, and reviewing regulatory policies that create reimbursement disparities. The executive order can be reviewed here. 

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 270,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs’ patients and other health care consumers. For more information and to locate an NP in your community, visit WeChooseNPs.org.