Expanded Scope of Practice Laws During the Pandemic- A Trend That's Here to Stay?

Provider scope of practice laws define the range of services that various types of clinicians are authorized to provide. Some states have eased restrictions on professional practice for certain providers, namely for nurse practitioners and physician assistants, allowing clinicians to evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests and initiate and manage treatments, including prescribing medications and controlled substances. By allowing non-physician providers to provide a broader array of health services, states hope to expand access to care and lower costs for consumers who may not always need a doctor's expertise for every interaction with the health system. This trend has been hastened by the COVID-19 crisis, for which the HHS Secretary recommended that states waive certain restrictions on scope of practice to ensure that providers can meet patient needs during the public health emergency.

In this webinar, speakers will explain the policy changes that states have made to their scope of practice laws prior to and during the COVID pandemic and discuss the potential for these changes to stay in place after the crisis ebbs. They will also discuss how scope of practice changes could impact healthcare cost and value, as well as equity in access to care for people who have been marginalized.

Speakers for this webinar include:

Healther Brom, PhD, RN, NP-C. Eastwood Family Endowed Assistant Professor, M.Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, Villanova University
Bianca Frogner, PhD, associate professor in Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington, director of the UW Center for Health Workforce Studies and deputy director of the Primary Care Innovation Lab
Joanne Spetz, PhD, professor at UCSF and director of the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies and associate director for research at the Healthforce Center at UCSF