Advanced Practice Registered Nurses Offer An Option To Help Ease Primary Care Physician Shortage

COLUMBUS, Ohio, Dec. 10, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As ongoing changes in health care continue to leave most Americans uncertain about how these changes will impact them, experts agree that one thing is certain within the health care landscape – the ongoing shortage of primary care physicians. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the U.S. will face a shortage of more than 90,000 physicians in 10 years, and nearly one-third of physicians will retire in the next decade. This comes at a time when Baby Boomers are aging and more than 32 million health care consumers are expected to be added to an already overwhelmed health care marketplace.

However, recent studies have shown that the burden of this shortage can be significantly impacted by better understanding the role of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) in meeting the health care needs of Ohioans. According to the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses (OAAPN), there are more than 10,000 APRNs in the state of Ohio who are highly trained and credentialed health care professionals.

An increasing physician shortage likely will lead to increased wait times to see a doctor. While preventive care can be planned in advance, many of your listeners still want to know - "When I get sick and need immediate attention, what are my options?"

Diann Nelson-Houser, president-elect of OAAPN can discuss:

• Available health care options and how to choose what works best for an individual.
• The impact APRNs will have in delivering accessible, high quality and cost-effective care.
• How APRNs can ease the burden of limited availability and decreasing numbers of primary care physicians.
• A detailed explanation of what APRNs do in terms of diagnosing illness, ordering tests and prescribing medication, and the training they received.

Suggested Questions:

• Why are we seeing a decrease in primary care physicians?
• How do we balance our need for increased access to care if there is an expected decrease in primary care providers?
• I'm sick and need to see a health care professional immediately. What are my options?
• What is an APRN and what type of training do they receive?
• How is an APRN similar and different from a primary care physician? What can you expect when you visit an APRN?
• How can increased access to APRNs help patients receive accessible, high quality and cost-effective health care?

About Diann Nelson-Houser, APRN:
Diann Nelson-Houser has been a registered nurse for 30 years, the last nine of which she has spent as an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. Diann is a family nurse practitioner and has been active at the organizational and state level in promoting legislative and policy change to expand access to care. She is the owner and lead health care provider at Affordable Care Health Clinic in the Columbus area and also owns Self-Employed NP Development Company, a practice management company for independent nurse practitioners who care for patients in nursing homes, assisted and independent living facilities and homes.

SOURCE Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses