Nursing MD vs NP Reimbursement

NURSING

Nursing: NP vs. MD Reimbursement

It would not be wrong to say that nurse practitioners provide the same quality of healthcare as physicians; hence, they should be reimbursed more or at par with the physicians. After Covid-19, the importance of nursing work has increased since the role has evolved with increased benefits that the entire population obtained (Bischof & Greenberg, 2021). The nurse practitioners have displayed their competency well in such critical times that they can work in diverse situations, even when pressure is high. They deservingly need to be paid with higher reimbursements through MD programs. They can also serve any population segment without discrimination or putting their job at risk under such differences, be it rural or urban areas.

The New York reimbursement rates are mentioned within a certain health program and its contract for the nurse practitioners. For example, Preferred Physicians and Children Program (PPAC) is obliged to pay the nurse practitioners cited in the provider agreement under the New York state law (New York Code, Rules and Regulations, n.a.). Also, under the Balanced Budget Act of 1997, nurses get only 85% of the reimbursement for MDs compared to the rate physicians are paid, which seems unfair as nurse practitioners do as much work as the physicians (Bischof & Greenberg, 2021).

Apart from the pay comparisons, nurse practitioners have undergone extensive training and fulfilled education hours to gain the level of skill and expertise they are serving today. They should be paid higher because they look after even those population segments to which physicians do not get access. The underserved population gets care from nurse practitioners more than the physicians and their retail clinics' presence. Being closer to patients who have complex forms of medical conditions and addressing their concerns daily is not a piece of cake for physicians. No wonder nurse practitioners do get burnout issues, which is a healthcare issue. If the issue is not properly handled, millions of patients would be at risk of experiencing negative patient outcomes. Such a scenario would not be handled by the physicians only then; hence, nurse practitioners have become a crucial part of the health care system and massive support for the physicians.