Nurse Practitioners Urge States to Modernize Laws to Combat Opioid Epidemic

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- During National Nurse Practitioner Week, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is renewing its call for all state legislatures to remove regulatory roadblocks that limit nurse practitioners (NPs) from prescribing Medication-Assisted Treatments (MATs) to their patients struggling with opioid use disorder. Bipartisan federal legislation, the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act, enables NPs and other qualified providers to obtain a waiver to prescribe MATs following completion of a 24-hour course. However, some states still limit, and one state, Tennessee, prevents NPs from prescribing patients these important treatments in the fight against opioids. For example, some states require NPs who have received a waiver to prescribe MATs to contract with a physician, who must also be waivered, in order to treat patients with opioid-use disorder.

As of 2019, more than 11,000 NPs hold a waiver to prescribe the critically important medications. Despite this progress, access to care has been limited by complex and outdated state laws. As a result, nearly 90 percent of all clinicians that hold waivers are clustered in urban areas. As of today, less than half the counties nationwide had a single provider licensed to prescribe buprenorphine, which helps explain why only 20 percent of people with opioid use disorder receive any treatment.

"This is where NPs will have the biggest impact," said Sophia L. Thomas DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, PPCNP-BC, FNAP, FAANP, President of AANP. "NPs are more likely to practice in rural and underserved regions. This broader coverage is absolutely essential. Furthermore, NPs practicing in states with full practice authority (FPA) ? where they practice autonomously ? are more likely to be waivered or pursue a buprenorphine waiver than those who practice in states with restricted practice laws."

"The bottom line is that empowering NPs to treat opioid use disorder increases access for patients who have historically fallen through the cracks," said David Hebert, CEO of AANP. "This is the breakthrough our nation needs to combat the opioid epidemic, and we will continue to work with governors and state legislators to ensure needless barriers are removed and patients suffering from opioid use disorder (OUD) get the care they need in a timely manner."

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners?(AANP) is the largest professional membership organization for nurse practitioners (NPs) of all specialties. It represents the interests of the more than 270,000 licensed NPs in the U.S. AANP provides legislative leadership at the local, state and national levels, advancing health policy; promoting excellence in practice, education and research; and establishing standards that best serve NPs' patients and other health care consumers. As?The Voice of the Nurse Practitioner®, AANP represents the interests of NPs as providers of high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive, patient-centered health care. For more information and to locate an NP in your community, visit?WeChooseNPs.org.

SOURCE American Association of Nurse Practitioners