Study: NPs increase access to care, do not reduce demand for physicians

Expanded practice authority for nurse practitioners increases access to care for Medicare beneficiaries without decreasing physician service delivery or reimbursement, a study found. Published in Nursing Outlook, the study examined whether NPs provide more services and bill more per service in full scope-of-practice states compared to restricted scope-of-practice states. Researchers also examined differences in physician service delivery and cost between full and restricted scope-of-practice states to determine to what extent NPs compete with physicians or expand the market by increasing consumer access and affordability. They found NPs in full scope-of-practice states had higher Medicare costs and more services per beneficiary than those in restricted states. However, among physicians, cost and service volume did not differ by scope of practice. (Nursing Outlook article, 8/19/25)