NAPNAP Goes to Capitol Hill - Event Recap

Jill Gilliland, President of Melnic Consulting Group, a recruiting firm who specializes in pediatric advanced practice and nurse leaders, joined NAPNAP at their annual “Fly –In” event in Washington, DC.   Jill said, “Meeting with the healthcare advisor from Virginia, Representative Moran, Senator Warner, and Senator Webb’s office staff was a very positive and enlightening experience.  We discussed their involvement and promotion of healthcare and specifically their support for the role of the pediatric nurse practitioner.”  In a recap provided by Jill Gilliland, she notes that they were interested in the following NAPNAP agenda and provides insight into the topics of discussion:

• Improved Medicare Patient Access to Home Health Services addressing the ability of PNPs to refer for these services.  Particularly for children with renal failure awaiting transplantation. 
• Enabling PNPs to Organize Accountable Care Organizations by mending Section 1899 (c ) to allow PNPs to establish their own ACOs and to recognize general pediatrics as a primary care service.  This would allow clinics that are PNP run which to be included in the ACO funding model.  Many times PNPs run and operate clinics in rural areas or for community based services.  We do not want them to be excluded from the ACO model as they provide care for many of the patients the healthcare bill is designed to benefit.
• Preserve Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program which is the single largest insurer for children from low-income families.  These programs cover every 3 out of 10 children and youth which is 30 million children nationwide.  89% of PNPs report treating children covered by Medicaid.  Melnic Consulting Group has seen Medicaid reimbursement as a percent of revenue for children’s hospitals grow from 45-50% 2 years ago to up to 70% today.  Without Medicaid and CHIP reimbursement, many of the nation’s sickest children would not get the help they need.
• Support Fiscal Year 2013 Funding for Nursing Workforce Development Programs.   With the high unemployment rate at the top of the political agenda in Washington, supporting Title VIII of the Public Health Services Act by funding the current program is a step towards addressing the problem.  These funds are essential to educating student and would fund 1,400 advanced practice registered nurses in primary care.  These students can then become employed in a field in which the demand for workers is one of the highest in the US.  As the healthcare bill unfolds, the need for primary care providers to meet the needs of the growing number of insured people increases as well.  As Massachusetts has seen, the decrease in pay to physicians has left a gap between the number of people who need a provider and the number of available providers.  Nurse Practitioners are a solution to the demand and therefore, funding education is a means to solving both the increase demand for providers and lowering of the unemployment rate.

Jill Gilliland said that, “the health care advisors were eager to address the issues facing children’s health care and explore solutions.”  Washington is currently waiting for the court ruling on the health care bill but hopefully the commitment to an economical, needs based solution will continue to drive their votes and support - especially for our nation’s children.

To inquire more about thise topic visit Melnic Consulting Group or contact: Jill Gilliland 800-886-7906 jill@melnic.com