Protecting and enhancing the scope of practice for NPs and ensuring legislative and cultural environments that empower NPs to be leaders in healthcare are our key priorities.  We further believe that NPs can provide an important and valuable perspective in shaping all health policy.  NHNPA and NPs should be at every table where these decisions are being made. As an association, we work in partnership with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners to serve as the collective voice of NHs NPs.  As individuals, NPs also provide an important and valuable perspective as highly-qualified healthcare providers and we encourage and support our members as they engage in related advocacy efforts.

NHNPA

• Supports legislation/policy that protects and enhances the full scope of practice for NPs
• Opposes legislation/policy that could restrict or otherwise negatively impact NP practice in NH
• Supports non-physician-centric language in proposed legislation/policies and rule-making language
• Supports the inclusion of NPs on relevant commissions and other groups  
• Opposes legislation/policy that could negatively impact the governance role of the BON
• Supports legislation/policy designed to support employers of NPs and NPs as employees or business owners
• From time to time there will be other legislation that we find important/interesting and we may want to follow those bills and respond to requests from other associations who may have prioritized them.  These are addressed on a case-by-case basis.

Our staff, consultants, and members have decades of experience navigating the NH State Government including the legislative and executive branches.  Our team includes recognized leaders in both the state and national capital. Our advocacy work includes legislation, rulemaking, administrative hearings, and licensure and regulatory matters.  NHNPA is also represented on a wide rage of legislative committees through appointed seats.  

Policy Statements for the NHNPA  

NH Nurse Practitioners (NPs) influence clinical practice environments and local organizational culture, organizational processes, and policies while leading and working with members of other healthcare disciplines. They have been leaders in providing primary care to high-need, high-risk populations as evidenced by their high participation in NH Medicaid.  Beyond the exam room, they are small business owners and hold administrative roles within hospitals, medical group practices, and NH institutions. Meeting the future healthcare needs in NH through the quadruple aim set by the IHI (Institute of Health Improvement) will require a robust healthcare workforce including NPs with clinical skills, leadership capacity, and business acumen.

NPs assess patients, order and interpret diagnostic tests, make diagnoses, and initiate and manage treatment plans — including prescribing medications. Millions of patients choose NPs as their health care providers, with visits totaling more than 1.06 billion annually per the AANP. 

*Quadruple Aim- IHI goal of Improving Population Health, Reducing Healthcare Costs, Enhancing the Patients Experience, Improving Provider Experience                      

*APRNs Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Medicaid Expansion:

 The NHNPA supports Medicaid Expansion as a proven avenue to bolster access to health care for NH residents, thus increasing the affordability of services and improving health outcomes for low-income populations who may forego care. Expansion can reduce ethnic disparities and strengthen rural healthcare access and help the state economies. It also decreases uncompensated care at medical facilities that treat the uninsured as fewer will be uninsured. 

Medicaid expansion allows NH APRNs to provide more Equitable access to healthcare for their patients. 

Telehealth:

Telehealth provides an opportunity to expand access to health care and utilize existing resources more efficiently. However, legacy regulations and disputes over reimbursement rates have slowed the proper deployment of telehealth innovation in New Hampshire. The NHNPA supports provisions of health care services via technology and holds that these services are not a separate specialty or practice of any one profession. NHNPA, in alignment with the AANP, maintains that health care provided via technology should be recognized, regulated and reimbursed on parity with the same services delivered in person.

NH Telehealth alliance (meeting 11/2022) Policy Principles

*AANP American Academy of Nurse Practitioners 

Reproductive Rights and Preserving Scope of Practice:

NHNPA sustains the right of NPs to provide high-quality reproductive health care with respect to patient autonomy and scope of practice. As in all health care matters, decisions regarding preventing a pregnancy, continuing a pregnancy, or terminating a pregnancy should be made solely by patients in consultation with their health care professional. NHNPA supports NPs' ability to provide full access to reproductive care and high-quality maternal health care. In addition, NHNPA advocates for NPs to work toward decreasing maternal mortality and eliminating disparities in maternal health.