Three Steps to Maximize the Potential of Existing Primary Care Providers

Abstract:

Nurse practitioners are positioned to dramatically expand access to primary and preventive health care throughout the United States. In recent years, a series of disruptive innovations in the health care sector have capitalized on nurse practitioners' ability to provide high-quality care in independent settings. Nurse practitioners who practice in these independent settings already reach over 6 million people annually, and have the potential to reach many more.

Research in Health Affairs and other peer-reviewed journals has documented that retail clinics and Nurse-Managed Health Centers provide accessible, affordable care to millions of Americans without threatening continuity of care. In this policy brief, the National Nursing Centers Consortium, a non-profit organization comprised of Nurse-Managed Health Centers throughout the country, sets forth three steps to maximize the untapped potential of these providers.