With the passage of autonomous practice ability for nurse practitioners in Florida this year, many are wondering how this will affect the healthcare industry in Florida. In a traditional sense, rural and underserved areas should have the opportunity for growth in healthcare providers. The autonomous practice law removes restrictions on certain nurse practitioners, granting them the ability to practice in primary care practice settings without worrying about supervision restrictions. Outside of that, the application of the new law can expand healthcare business offerings and abilities:
Hormone Therapy and Wellness – In most of these businesses, the biggest hurdle to efficiency and growth is having a physician available to examine and prescribe for a patient. With autonomous practice, most services would fall under primary care and could be performed by an autonomous practice nurse practitioner.
Primary Care Clinics – While many primary care practices may operate primarily with a nurse practitioner, they still are bound by supervision requirements and restrictions. Now, physicians and business owners can expand their practices by utilizing autonomous practice nurse practitioners, eliminating certain hurdles and cost-prohibitive regulations.
Concierge Practices – Cash-pay, boutique practices are ever popular and present an opportunity for healthcare providers or business owners. Access to healthcare can mean location, cost, and availability.
These are just some of the opportunities for employing autonomous practice nurse practitioners. Creativity in the healthcare industry leads to better care for patients and these new regulations open the doors for growth and opportunity.
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Mr. Howard is an attorney with the Florida Healthcare Law Firm in Delray Beach, FL.