Advocating reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners
The current Medicare reimbursement policy for nurse practitioners allows them to directly bill Medicare for services that they perform, but they are reimbursed at only 85% of the physician rate. A new Penn Nursing article argues that payment parity is essential.
In an article in The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing,Alycia Bischof, senior lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, argues that given the increased role of nurse practitioners (particularly during the pandemic) and their proven ability to provide care comparable to physicians, Congress should allow Medicare to increase the nurse practitioner (NP) reimbursement rate to 100% of the physician pay rate.
“The COVID- 19 pandemic serendipitously led to the removal of many restrictions on NP practice, a positive change that needs to become permanent. This is the time for NPs to seize the opportunity to work with MedPAC to achieve full reimbursement for care provided,” she says.
In the article, she summarizes the evolution of the practice of NPs and the rationale for reimbursement parity for nurse practitioners. She also outlines the potential benefits of providing NPs with 100% reimbursement, including incentivizing them to practice in primary care settings where there is a shortage.
On the move: Water quality and antimicrobial resistance testing goes mobile
Penn researchers have developed a mobile field laboratory allowing them to test water quality and track antimicrobial resistance in and around San Cristóbal in the Galápagos.
Penn researchers Vanessa and Alexis North are studying one of the largest collections of Egyptian blue objects ever found in the ancient Near East, shedding new light on how the world’s first synthetic pigment may have traveled far beyond Egypt.
A new role for dental providers? Rethinking where vaccines are given
Vaccinations have traditionally been administered in primary care settings or pharmacies. However, for about a decade, some states have authorized dentists to administer vaccines, and many others did so during the COVID-19 pandemic. The effectiveness of this approach has led some countries and states to expand or consider expanding the role of dental providers in delivering routine vaccines, including those against COVID-19 and the human papillomavirus (HPV), and in providing vaccine education.
Penn student develops a way for computer chips to run more efficiently
Fluid Silicon, a platform from President’s Sustainability Prize winner Nhlanhla Mavuso, allows computer chips to continuously monitor their health and self-tune as their characteristics change. The technology has the potential to reduce energy usage in data centers and improve reliability in mission-critical applications.
