Are managed care organizations in the United States impeding the delivery of primary care by nurse practitioners? A 2012 update on managed care organization credentialing and reimbursement practices.

In 2014, the Affordable Care Act will create an estimated 16 million newly insured people. Coupled with an estimated shortage of over 60,000 primary care physicians, the country's public health care system will be at a challenging crossroads, as there will be more patients waiting to see fewer doctors. Nurse practitioners (NPs) can help to ease this crisis.

Primary prevention of lead exposure: the Philadelphia lead safe homes study.

Objective: Lead exposure in children can lead to neuropsychological impairment. This study tested whether primary prevention interventions in the newborn period prevent elevated blood lead levels (BLLs).

Methods: The Philadelphia Lead Safe Homes (LSH) Study offered parental education, home evaluation, and lead remediation to the families of urban newborns.

Convenient care clinics: the future of accessible health care--the formation years 2006-2008.

In the 2 years since the Convenient Care Association (CCA), a nonprofit organization representing the members of the Convenient Care industry, was founded, this new model has gained significant traction in the health care marketplace and in the awareness of health care consumers. When the CCA was formed, fewer than 200 clinics were in operation. Now, there are more than 1000 clinics seeing patients, and more than 3.

Developing alliances: how advanced practice nurses became part of the prescription for Pennsylvania.

The authors describe how advanced practice nurses in Pennsylvania were able to successfully advocate for nursing-related legislative reforms through Governor Edward G. Rendell's signature health care reform plan (the "Prescription for Pennsylvania"). In addition to discussing advocacy efforts related to a series of nursing-related bills considered by the Pennsylvania Assembly in 2007, the article also describes years of hard work and foundational advocacy conducted by a broad coalition of nurses, which paved the way for the Prescription for Pennsylvania's reforms.

Insurers' contracting policies on nurse practitioners as primary care providers: two years later.

A national survey showed that nearly half of all major managed care organizations in the United States refuse to credential nurse practitioners as primary care providers. In nurse-managed health centers throughout the country, nurse practitioners provide primary care to underserved populations with similar outcomes to primary care physicians. Insurers' prohibitive credentialing and reimbursement policies reduce these centers' capacity for growth and, in turn, threaten the long-term sustainability of a key component of the health care safety net.

Convenient care clinics: the future of accessible health care.

The need for accessible, affordable, quality health care in the United States has never been greater. In response to this need, convenient care clinics (CCCs) are being launched across the country to help provide care to meet the basic health needs of the public. In CCCs, highly qualified health care providers diagnose and treat common health problems, triage patients to the appropriate level of care, advocate for a medical home for all patients, and reduce unnecessary visits to emergency rooms and Urgent Care Clinics.

Insurers' contracting policies on nurse practitioners as primary care providers: the current landscape and what needs to change.

A national survey showed that most insurance companies refuse to credential nurse practitioners as primary care providers in nurse-managed health centers. These prohibitive policies, along with weak federal and state laws, threaten the long-term sustainability of nurse-managed health centers as safety-net health care providers and limit the ability for nurse practitioners to become an accepted primary health care source in the United States. Interviews with national managed care organizations revealed that these companies' current business practice and policies are unlikely to change without regulatory change at state and/or federal levels.

Insurer policies create barriers to health care access and consumer choice.

A national survey shows that most insurance companies refuse to credential nurse practitioners in nurse-managed health centers as primary care providers. These prohibitive policies along with weak federal and state laws threaten the long-term sustainability of nurse-managed health centers as safety net health care providers, and the ability for nurse practitioners to become an accepted primary health care source in the United States.

The nurse-managed health center safety net: a policy solution to reducing health disparities.

Nurse-managed health centers are critical safety net providers. Increasing support of these centers is a promising strategy for the federal government to reduce health disparities. To continue as safety net providers, nurse-managed health centers need to receive equal compensation as other federally funded providers.