2024 Health Affairs Scholarship: AANP Health Policy Conference
By Bethany Duyser
The 2024 American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) Health Policy Conference took place January 27-30 in Washington, D.C. Nurse practitioners (NPs) from all fifty states attended the three-day event, which consisted of two days of speakers and one day of meetings with legislators on Capitol Hill.
More than a dozen speakers and panelists shared their perspectives on health policy topics relevant to NPs across the country. Talks provided examples of changes in policy impacting NP practice, updates from national organizations, and highlighted the careers of NPs leading the way to improve health policy. The keynote was delivered by Rear Admiral Jennifer Moon, Chief Nurse Officer of the Commissioned Corps of the US Public Health Service. Rear Admiral Moon described the direct influence of national health policies on her nursing practice and, ultimately, her career trajectory to becoming “America’s Nurse.” During the final conference session, attendees welcomed Representative Jen Kiggans of Virginia’s second district, an Adult-Gerontological Primary Care NP. Representative Kiggans spoke about her move from patient care to Congress. It was an inspiring opportunity to learn about the myriad of ways colleagues are approaching the primary role of every NP- an advocate for the wellbeing of individuals, communities, and populations.
Topics relevant to gerontological advance practice nursing were included in the program. Workforce development was addressed, as the profession has been undergoing rapid growth. Understanding the distribution and practice areas of NPs will be particularly salient to supporting the needs of an aging population. Updates about Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) priorities were also reviewed, emphasizing resilience of systems to equitably deliver high-quality services to Medicare and Medicaid participants in settings where NPs provide care.
The second part of the conference program was all about advocating for federal legislation recognizing the NP role in improving access to patient care services. The four primary pieces of legislation discussed were the:
- Improving Access to Worker’s Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act
- Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act
- Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2023
- Promoting Access to Diabetic Shoes Act.
For additional details on each of these legislative agenda items, visit the AANP website https://www.aanp.org/advocacy/federal. Attendees were prepared by AANP staff to address the key talking points on each proposed legislation and incorporate their experience from the field. After networking among state groups, the NPs in attendance moved on to meetings with the offices of their respective senators and representatives.
I learned early in my career that when nurses are in the room, care is better, and so we are in the room for births, deaths, and everything in between. I had previously underestimated just how much that benefit extends to the rooms where health policy decisions are made. There is no one more qualified to speak on behalf of the healthcare needs of our communities or the quality of advanced practice nursing care than us. In the words of Lillian Wald, “reforms can be accomplished only when attitudes are changed.”
Thank you to the GAPNA Health Affairs Committee for the scholarship that allowed me to attend this conference. It has been an exciting and educational experience.
Bethany Duyser DNP, RN, AGPCNP
duyserbe@msu.edu