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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On April 12, 2011, the American Nurses Association (ANA), the nation’s largest nursing organization, was proud to join Partnership for Patients: Better Care, Lower Costs, a coalition of hospitals, providers, patient advocates, employers and state and federal officials dedicated to creating a safer, higher quality health care system.

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A new study that evaluates hospital nurse staffing by each shift and unit shows that inadequate staffing is tied to higher patient mortality rates — a conclusion that reinforces the American Nurses Association’s (ANA) principles that call for nurse staffing to be flexible and continually adjusted based on patients’ needs and other factors.

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On May 12, ANA First Vice President Debbie Hatmaker, PhD, RN-BC, SANE-A testified before the House Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies on the need for additional funding for nursing workforce development programs. In addition, ANA also submitted a statement for the record to the Senate Subcommittee on Employment and Workplace Safety’s hearing on Safe Patient Handling and Lifting Standards for a Safer American Workforce.

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As you may be aware, nursing leader and ANA member Mary Naylor, PhD, RN, FAAN, was recently appointed to be a commissioner on MedPAC, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. MedPAC is charged with advising Congress and CMS (the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services) on Medicare and Medicaid policies, including annual payment updates for the Medicare prospective payment systems – such as the Physician Fee Schedule, which covers the reimbursement of APRNs (advanced practice registered nurses).

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