Political Quotes

“Seniors who see a nurse practitioner or physician's assistant as their primary care provider face unnecessary delays in receiving necessary home health services. Medicare recognizes that nurse practitioners and physician's assistants diagnose and care for patients, prescribe medications, and order nursing home services for seniors, all in accordance with State law. But even when State laws explicitly include ordering home health care within the scope of practice for nurse practitioners, as Pennsylvania does, Medicare still requires a physician's signature for referral and payment. That Medicare allows nurse practitioners and PA's to sign the forms to place a senior in a nursing home but not for less expensive home health care just doesn't make sense. This requirement leads to unnecessary and costly delays. I urge my colleagues to join with me to fix this problem and to ensure that seniors get the care that they need in appropriate and cost efficient settings by cosponsoring my bill, H.R. 4993, the Home Health Care Planning and Improvement Act, and make sure that seniors get the care they need in the right setting.”