Bipartisan bills would grant NPs more practice authority

A bipartisan bill would allow nurse practitioners to treat federal workers for work-related injuries. Sens. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Reps. Tim Walberg, R-Mich., and Joe Courtney, D-Conn., introduced this month the Improving Access for Injured Federal Workers Act (S. 131/H.R. 6087). Current law prohibits NPs from treating federal workers for worker compensation cases. Brown and Collins also introduced the Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act, along with Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.). The bill would allow NPs ─ who often serve as the sole provider for patients with diabetes ─ to prescribe therapeutic shoes. Current law requires NPs to send their Medicare patients to a physician to certify the shoes are necessary, resulting in an extra appointment and care delays. (Sen. Sherrod Brown news release, 2/1/23)