ANA held a Congressional briefing on September 27 on Capitol Hill, urging lawmakers to support the bipartisan “Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2011” (H.R. 2267/ S.227). The legislation would remove a federal barrier to practice in Medicare by ensuring that APRNs and PAs can sign home health plans – current law puts an undue burden on the patient, leading to delays in home health services and increased costs for patients. During the briefing ANA also highlighted compelling results from a new study that found implementation of the law will lead to a cost savings of $309 million over ten years for Medicare.

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ANA submitted formal comments to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) responding to proposed rules that directly impact the practice of nursing, especially in home health care and hospital outpatient services. Even nurses who don’t work in these areas may have patients or know someone affected by these policies. Final rules responding to our comments are due out later this year. These, and other ANA regulatory comments, are available on Nursing World, at http://www.nursingworld.org/comments.

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The Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development programs, which are administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), are the primary source of federal funding for nursing education and workforce development. These programs bolster nursing education at all levels, from entry-level preparation through the development of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs). They also prepare faculty to teach the nation’s future nursing workforce.

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On June 21, 2011, Representatives Greg Walden (R-OR) and Allyson Schwartz (D-PA) reintroduced the “Home Health Care Planning Improvement Act of 2011” (H.R. 2267). This bipartisan legislation would allow advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) – nurse practitioners (NPs), clinical nurse specialists (CNSs), certified nurse midwives (CNMs), physician assistants (PAs) – to order home health services and meet the face-to-face requirement under Medicare in accordance with state law.

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ANA strives to promote health care policies that advance the goals of nursing and foster better public health. For each new Congress, the Committee on Legislation meets to identify its recommendations for ANA’s legislative and regulatory priorities for that Congressional session. ANA’s legislative and regulatory agenda is focused on ANA’s core issues, which include: Nursing Shortage, Appropriate Staffing, Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, Workplace Health and Safety, Patient Safety/Advocacy, and Environmental Health. The proposals for the 112th Congress have been adopted by the ANA Board of Directors and ANA Government Affairs is excited to unveil ANA’s Legislative and Regulatory Initiatives for the 112th Congress.

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A new resource is available for Advanced Practice RNs (APRNs) who care for Medicare patients. “Medicare Information for Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants” is now available as a booklet from the Medicare Learning Network.® It contains information about required qualifications, coverage criteria, billing, and payment for Medicare services furnished by APRNs, as well as physician assistants and anesthesiologist assistants.

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