The Facts
  • Only 23 of Texas’ 254 counties have adequate levels of health care professionals. Nearly 90% of rural Texas counties are partially or completely designated as medically underserved. Twenty-five Texas counties have no physician at all, and nearly 20% of Texans, or 3.2 million people, do not have adequate access to a primary care provider.
  • The number of retail clinics is expanding in the 33 states where regulations are more favorable to the development of retail health clinics.
  • Research findings support that appropriately trained nurses can provide as high a quality of care as doctors for the services they provide. APRNs also provide care to Medicaid clients at an 8% discount from the physician’s rates.
  • Giving APRNs the ability to practice to the extent of their education and training will improve patient access to prompt treatment as well as efficient and effective patient-centered care, without affecting quality.
 
Recommendations
  • Repeal onerous regulations surrounding APRN scope of practice such as site-based requirements and oversight requirements.
  • Permit nurse practitioners to practice to the extent of their education and training as defined by the Board of Nursing. Allow prescriptive authority to be determined by the Board of Nursing.