Advancing and safeguarding the practice range for Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and ensuring legislative and cultural frameworks that enable NPs as leaders in healthcare remain our principal goals. We are committed to the belief that NPs offer crucial insights in the formulation of all health policies. It is imperative that NHNPA and NPs are involved in all discussions where such decisions are made. Through collaboration with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, we strive to represent the unified voice of New Hampshire's NPs. As individual healthcare professionals, NPs provide significant expertise, and we support and motivate our members to participate in advocacy efforts.

NHNPA Advocates for:

• Legislation/policy that protects and expands the complete practice scope for NPs.
• Opposition to legislation/policy that could restrict or adversely affect NP practice in New Hampshire.
• The use of non-physician-centric wording in proposed legislation, policies, and rule-making.
• The inclusion of NPs in relevant commissions and groups.
• Opposition to legislation/policy that could negatively influence the governing role of the Board of Nursing.
• Legislation/policy that supports employers of NPs and NPs as employees or entrepreneurs.
• Engaging with legislation deemed important or interesting on an individual basis, including collaboration with other associations that prioritize such issues.

Our team, with decades of experience in navigating New Hampshire's State Government, including its legislative and executive branches, comprises recognized leaders both statewide and nationally. Our advocacy spans legislation, rulemaking, administrative hearings, and licensure and regulatory affairs. NHNPA holds seats on a wide range of legislative committees.

Policy Statements for NHNPA:

NP Practice Statement: New Hampshire Nurse Practitioners influence clinical practice settings, local organizational culture, processes, and policies, demonstrating leadership across healthcare disciplines. Their role in providing primary care to populations at high risk and high need is evident from their significant participation in New Hampshire Medicaid. Beyond clinical settings, they are entrepreneurs and hold administrative positions within hospitals, medical groups, and state institutions. Addressing future healthcare needs in New Hampshire through the quadruple aim set by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement demands a workforce that includes NPs equipped with clinical skills, leadership capacity, and business knowledge. NPs evaluate patients, conduct and interpret diagnostic tests, diagnose, and manage treatment plans—including prescription privileges. Annually, over 1.06 billion patients opt for NPs as their healthcare providers, as reported by the AANP. Quadruple Aim: IHI's objective of improving population health, reducing healthcare costs, enhancing patient experiences, and improving provider experiences. APRNs: Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

Medicaid Expansion: NHNPA endorses Medicaid Expansion, recognizing it as a crucial measure to enhance healthcare accessibility for New Hampshire's residents, thus promoting service affordability and improving health outcomes, especially among low-income groups who might otherwise neglect care. This expansion aids in diminishing ethnic disparities, bolstering rural healthcare access, and supporting state economies by reducing the amount of uncompensated care in medical facilities.

Telehealth: Telehealth offers an avenue to broaden healthcare access and optimize resource use. Nevertheless, outdated regulations and reimbursement disputes have hindered the full deployment of telehealth innovations in New Hampshire. NHNPA advocates for healthcare services provided through technology, emphasizing that these services should be recognized, regulated, and reimbursed equivalently to in-person services.

Reproductive Rights and Preserving Scope of Practice: NHNPA upholds the right of NPs to deliver comprehensive reproductive healthcare respecting patient autonomy and scope of practice. Decisions about pregnancy prevention, continuation, or termination should be exclusively between the patient and their healthcare provider. NHNPA supports NPs in offering unrestricted access to reproductive and quality maternal healthcare, aiming to reduce maternal mortality and eradicate disparities in maternal health.