Advanced Nurse Practitioner (APN)

The research project will be investigating the business aspect, practicality and usefulness of starting an independent home-care based private practice, owned and operated by the Advanced Nurse Practitioner (APN). The applicability of operating a private practice using the APN is that over the next several years, more states will begin allowing APN’s to have more independence in their licensure so that operating a private practice, with full autonomy, will come to fruition. Currently, there are only a few states which allows APN’s with full prescribing privileges, although this number is rising. However, there are other states where the APN can only diagnosis and provide treatment without physician collaboration. With the elder population
However, the APN cannot do it alone, and a collaborating physician may be necessary in many states. Advanced Nurse Practitioners have a slight advantage practicing in New Jersey in that an APN can diagnosis and treat patients, but does require a collaborating physician to prescribe medications. However, “state laws vary widely in the level of physician oversight required for nurse practitioners, with some states allowing NPs to practice independently, while others limit NPs’ authority to diagnose, treat and prescribe medications to patients without supervision” (Yee, Boukus, Cross & Samuel, 2013, p. 1). Conversely, there are other states where the APN can prescribe, diagnosis and provide treatment without physician collaboration, yet others that a physician is needed for all 3 actions. Currently, 18 states allow APN’s to diagnose, treat and prescribe medications without physician permission including Maryland (Yee & et al., 2013).
This type of business is continuing to gain popularity and according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2004) approximately 1,355,300 patients were receiving home health care services from 7,200 in 2000. “Between 1990 and 1996, home health care was the fastest growing
With the elder population living longer, the medical field needs to expand to meet the demands of the homebound patient. According to a study by Auerbach (2012), he projects the APN workforce will continue to expand a steady rate reaching 200,000 by 2020 and 236,000 by 2025. At the time the study was conducted in 2012, there were 128,000 APN’s. Having a home-care based practice is only one way to ensure homebound individuals are properly cared for and is guaranteed medical attention. One advantage of home-care visits alleviates the burden of the family of trying to find transportation to a physician’s office. Not only will APN’s home-care visits be convenient for homebound patients, it will be very cost effective as well. Naylor and Kurtzman (2010) assumes that the average cost for the APN visit is 20–35 percent lower than the cost of a physician