Reform of primary health care: effective use of advanced practice nurses

Never before has American society undergone such dramatic and pervasive changes as those currently effecting national health care needs. New strategies to meet the health care needs created by societal changes must be identified. Consumers, employers, providers, and third-party payers are calling for more cost effective health care, better access and better quality. Simultaneously, the United States has a shortage of primary care physicians. While many people claim that one strategy necessary for health care reform is to change the primary care physician/specialty mix of providers, there are some inherent fallacies in this argument. Training for primary care medicine has historically been available; however, the majority of physicians choose specialty practice. The financial rewards are much better in specialty practice than in primary care. If the U.S. were to alter the reward structure and make primary care more attractive to physicians, the objective of controlling costs could not be met. However, there is another alternative and that is to change the provider mix. Since advanced practice nurses (APNs) have a long and successful history of taking care of primary care patients, why not make them the point of first contact? APNs working collaboratively with physicians could more cost effectively manage care for large numbers of ambulatory patients than are being adequately handled at present. APNs, defined as nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives and clinical nurse specialists, provide high quality, cost effective, and comprehensive primary care services. Increased use of APNs in disease prevention, illness management, and health education is one way of meeting health care needs of Americans. Innovative strategies for more effectively using APNs must also be identified and implemented. Also, artificial and politically imposed barriers to effective utilization of APNs must be removed.