Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners

Political Action Committee

Legislative Update & Call to Action

Our bill, An Act to Ensure Consumer Choice of Nurse Practitioner Services was incorporated into S. 2863 An Act to Promote Cost Containment, Transparency and Efficiency in the Delivery of Quality Health Care and signed into law by Governor Patrick in August of 2008

The purpose of our bill is to define, in statue, primary care providers and to have that definition include nurse practitioners.  In only 24 states do NPs currently have primary care provider status as mandated by state law.

An Act to Ensure Consumer Choice of Nurse Practitioner Services

Massachusetts Legislative Initiatives

If you have any questions regarding the legislation listed on this page, please email browlands@mcnppac.org for more information

Click here to search for your legislator by zip code

Our bill has four major components:

Cost-  This is budget neutral and does not effect billing or reimbursement in any way

Transparency– No longer will NPs be a hidden provider.  The health outcomes of NPs will be measured and attributed to the NPs work, not a collaborating physicians.  This will become more significant as “pay for performance” becomes the means of reimbursement.

Access– NPs will be listed in provider’s directors along with physicians as primary care providers.  Our patients will be able to find us if we move to another practice or if they are simply looking for an NP to coordinate their primary care.

Quality– NPs delivery quality care as demonstrated through over 30 years of research.  NPs delivery equal to, or better care, when compared to physicians.

S. 2863 An Act to Promote Cost Containment, Transparency and Efficiency in the Delivery of Quality Health Care contains several other components pertinent to NPs in Massachusetts:

· Included in loan forgiveness programs

· Nursing Allied Trust Fund

· Medical Home model language that is provider neutral

Thank you to everyone who made calls, wrote letters, attended fundraisers and hosted events.  This is an amazing victory for all nurse practitioners in Massachusetts.

                                       - MCNP Executive Board & PAC