A good time to reach out to your Federal Legislators

Dear Colleagues,

Our Congressmen and Senators use July to "catch up" with their constituents before they return to DC. Because of this prime opportunity, we can ask them to support a Home Health rule for NPs. While NPs can now do the face-to-face Home Health visit, NPs cannot CERTIFY them, which is a requirement for the service to be ordered.  Under the current rules, the NP cannot order Home Health without a physician's authorization. Please contact your federal legislators to ask them to support this bill so we can certify our Home Health patients for the care they so need. 

Please say: "Thank you for cosponsoring (S. 578), Please Urge Finance to Markup the Bill".  You can go to the following site and enter your zip code.  This will bring up a pre-written email message.  It will automatically send your request to the appropriate Arkansas legislators.  If you have a personal story about this access to Home Health for your patients, put it into your request.  Remember, this is about CERTIFYING the Home Health visits only. 

https://www.votervoice.net/iframes/AANP/Campaigns/37934/Respond

You can ask your members of Congress and Senators to sponsor the VA bill to increase the access for our veteran's by voting in favor  of  "H.R. 1247/S. 297, increase access to care in the VA". The following link will allow you to enter your zip code for quick access to your legislators.  This link is: https://www.votervoice.net/iframes/AANP/Campaigns/38679/Respond.

Important Reminder:  Register for "Joining Hands and Raising Voices" the ANPA first meeting and CE opportunity where "Advocating For Your Patients: From the Clinic to the Capitol" will be presented by guest speaker Brittany McAllister - State Government Affairs Specialist for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners.  She will share with us her insider view about the recent legislative successes NPs have had across the US in 2014-2015.  The meeting will be held at the Embassy suites in Little Rock on August 15, 2015.  You may learn more about the conference and register at:

 https://anpassociation.enpnetwork.com/nurse-practitioner-events/51791-advocating-for-your-patients-from-the-clinic-to-the-capitol