Health Policy Agenda

NAPNAP Health Policy Agenda 2012

The guiding principles of NAPNAP’s health policy agenda are:

• All children should have access to comprehensive, continuous, family-centered coordinated, compassionate, and culturally sensitive care, including mental health services in order to ensure healthy lifestyles. 
• Barriers should be removed that impede patient access to care provided by advanced practice nurses who specialize in the care of pediatric patients across the continuum of health care.  
• Increased commitment to national and grassroots advocacy by NAPNAP membership is essential and should be supported by providing learning opportunities for members to support their development as advocates.

NAPNAP’s Health Policy Committee has identified the following goals for focused advocacy and strategic partnerships to support NAPNAP’s mission and respond to important health policy issues:

Goal #1 Improve child health through support and advocacy on the following issues:

• Prevent childhood overweight and obesity through policies to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity levels.
• Raise awareness of childhood mental health and emotional problems and advocate for increased access to mental health services.
• Increase awareness of the benefits of breastfeeding.
• Increase childhood immunization rates through improved access and education. Promote oral health, dental caries screening and access to comprehensive pediatric dental health services.
• Increase awareness of current issues surrounding the treatment and management of pediatric pain.
• Encourage development of comprehensive quality health indicators focused on the care of children and families.

Goal #2 Improve access to care for all children through support and advocacy on the following issues:

• Advocate for the removal of insurance industry barriers that prevent families from obtaining affordable and comprehensive child health insurance coverage.
• Advocate for optimal funding of Medicaid and CHIP programs.
• Promote access to comprehensive primary, chronic, and acute care services for pediatric patients of all age groups. 

Goal #3 Promote access to pediatric Nurse Practitioners and Clinical Nurse Specialists through support and direct advocacy on the following issues:

• Recognizing nurse practitioners and other pediatric health care providers as primary care providers and leaders in new models of care such as accountable care organizations and primary health care homes.
• Promoting increased funding for advanced practice registered nurse education and development of faculty.
• Expanding coverage and seeking fiscally responsible reimbursement by governmental and commercial payers for services provided by advanced practice nurses.
• Ensuring that advanced practice nurses caring for pediatric patients are permitted to participate in any federal grant programs aimed at piloting new models of care or increasing the use of health information technology, and electronic medical records.
• Promoting access to pediatric advanced practice nurses, physicians, and other health care providers across the care continuum regardless of setting.

Approved by the NAPNAP Executive Board on October 29, 2011

Collaborative Health Policy Agenda

For Nurse Practitioners

Our organizations are committed to improving the nation’s health care system and providing high quality health care to diverse populations, consistent with the Institute of Medicine’s landmark 2010 report “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.”  To accomplish these objectives, we remain dedicated to assuring that nurse practitioners are fully enfranchised and represented in the development and implementation of laws, regulations, and public policies.

To achieve this objective, our organizations and membership will work collaboratively to advance the following principles:

• Patients shoul dhave unimpeded access to nurse practitioners who provide services to the full extent of their education and clinical preparation.
• Statutory and regulatory barriers that infringe on the full scope of the ability of nurse practitioners to meet the needs of those under their care must be eliminated.
• Nurse practitioners must be recognized as full participants and leaders in innovative design and implementation of a transformed health care system that provides high quality care to patients in a cost-effective manner, including innovative practice structures and payment systems.
• Improved funding for nurse practitioner education and faculty development is essential to meet the health care needs of a growing and diverse population of patients.

Adopted Nov. 2010