The Florida House of Representatives introduced legislation this year to lift restrictions on nurse practitioners in order to address their growing healthcare shortage, according to an op-ed published in The Daytona Beach News-Journal.
As retirees flock to the Sunshine State, Florida's patient to physician ratio is higher than the national average, at 1,531 to 1, according to the article. Nearly half of these physicians are expected to retire in the next 10 years. To maintain the current ratio, the state will need to attract 4,671 new primary care physicians over the next 15 years, the article said.
The state is home to roughly 13,000 NPs, who practice under some of the most restrictive laws in the nation. Under these limitations, NPs are barred from obtaining Drug Enforcement Administration licenses and required to work in supervisory arrangements, according to the article.
The Federal Trade Commission encouraged states to drop NP restrictions to help address the physician shortage in a report this year. Nearly half of states have adjusted restrictions, according to the News-Journal article.
NPs offer safe, cost-effective care with comparable results to physicians, according to a study the article cited from the Institutes of Medicine.
The op-ed was written by Susan Lynch, CEO and vice chair of public affairs for the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners and the state representative for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.
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