The Latest Medical News Nurse Practitioners Need to Know

Nurse practitioners play an important role in hospitals. They’re involved in everything from diagnosing, treating and managing acute and chronic illnesses. 

That makes for a fast-paced work environment where decisions have to quickly and sometimes with only partial information. One way for nurse practitioners to be more efficient and effective in delivering care is to stay up-to-date with the latest medical news about their work, societal trends affecting their patients and new treatment options. 

Here’s a look at some of the latest medical news for nurse practitioners:

Coming soon: more patient access to nurse practitioners

Nurse practitioners may soon be able to care for Medicare patients outside of hospitals. As part of an effort to address the nation’s shortage of doctors and improve the quality of care elderly patients receive, President Obama’s administration has put forward a proposal to allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to deliver primary care services in patients’ homes. 

According to a story published on DailyNurse.com, the administration–along with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services–believe that expanding the role of nurse practitioners and physician assistants could lead to lower healthcare costs, shorter hospital stays and better care for patients who otherwise might not be treated. 

Read more about the proposal on DailyNurse.com. 

What you need to know about nurse practitioners and hospice care

Nurses are on the front lines when it comes to helping people live long lives. But, at some point, there comes a time when end-of-life care is necessary. These cases can be trying for nurse practitioners, who are trained to help keep people healthy. 

Thankfully, there are resources to help nurse practitioners help patients who are candidates for hospice care. In what might be one of the most important pieces of the latest medical news, the Advance Healthcare Network published “The Role of the Nurse Practitioner in Hospice Care.” 

It’s a must-read for anyone who works with the elderly or people suffering from chronic and often fatal diseases. 

Read the article on the Advance Healthcare Network website. 

Nurse practitioners will run new medical practice

In what is a becoming more common in the healthcare industry, a group of nurse practitioners have opened a medical practice in Washington Heights, New York. 

The nurse practitioners, all of whom were educated at Columbia University School of Nursing, will be staff and manage the practice. The goal is to expand healthcare options for people who live in the area and train advanced practice nurses to deliver complex care to people who are living with chronic diseases. 

This is the second such medical practice opened by Columbia University and just might be an indication of the expanding role nurse practitioners will have in the future. 

Read about the new practice on the Columbia University website. 

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Would you like to learn about nurse practitioner opportunities within Elliot Health System? If so, check out our open provider positions.