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By the time you read this, Congress will have

wrapped up its 2007 legislative activities and moved

into 2008. In 2007, Congress had a contentious, long,

drawn-out, and relatively unproductive legislative

year. So what does that mean for 2008?

Congress organizes itself into 2-year periods called

congresses. Each year of a congressional cycle is

called a session; 2007 was the first session of the

110th Congress, and 2008 is the second session of

the 110th Congress. This means that any bills intro-

duced in the first session of a Congress are automat-

ically carried over into the second session of the

Congress, so all the legislation that ACNP has worked

hard to introduce to help nurse practitioners (NPs) is

still in play. ACNP will also be looking for opportuni-

ties to push for consideration of legislation such as

“The Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation

for Injured Federal Workers Act,” which would

recognize NPs as covered providers for federal

workers’ compensation patients, and the “The

Nurse-Managed Health Clinic Investment Act,” which

would provide grants for nurse-managed clinics.

2008 will be challenging because it is an election

year. An election year can mean different things for

congressional workload. It can mean Congress is

ambitious because they want to have accomplish-

ments to tout to the voters. Alternatively, sometimes

it means that Congress gets bogged down in politics

more than usual. As is often case, the reality is prob-

ably somewhere in the middle.

We do know that Congress has certain essential

functions it must carry out. In addition, there are other

issues that congressional leadership has said it plans

to tackle. All of this provides opportunities for NPs to

push its legislative priorities.

Congress must pass the appropriations bills that

fund the government. This means that funding for

programs that address the nursing shortage will be in

play. Congress has also signaled it will address what

is commonly referred to as the “physician payment

cuts,” although in reality the cuts affect all providers,

including NPs, who receive reimbursement from the

Medicare program. Driven by complex funding pro-

grams and given the current economic reality, cuts to

reimbursement are likely to happen again in 2008

unless Congress takes action to stop them. There will

be extra pressure on Congress to do something in

2008 because in 2007 Congress could only muster a

6-month freeze on the cuts with an increase of 0.5%.

Taking up anything involving Medicare means there

is a good chance that other Medicare issues will be

addressed. If this is the case, this will provide a good

opportunity for NPs to rally for fixes to restrictive

Medicare rules, which negatively impact their prac-

tices, such as the limits on ordering home health care

or to weigh in to ensure that a nurse practitioner prac-

tice can be considered a medical home under

Medicare and Medicaid.

One thing we can count on, though, is that 2008

will be exciting. To get the latest information on leg-

islation impacting nurse practitioners and to find out

how you can help advance important legislation

check the ACNP website at www.acnpweb.org.

Legislative Outlook for 2008

ANCC Announces New Credentials

for APNs EffectiveJanuary 2008

The American Nurses Credential Center (ANCC)

Commission on Certification (COC) has officially

announced a new advanced practice credential

for NPs. The new credentials for ANCC-certified

NPs will be NP-BC (nurse practitioner-board certi-

fied) preceded by a letter indicating the particular

specialty (ie, FNP-BC, ANP-BC, ACNP-BC, PNP-

BC, GNP-BC, PMHNP-BC). For further informa-

tion, see http://www.nursecredentialing.org/cert/

index.htm.

Robert Waters, Partner & Chair of theGovernment Relations Practice Group,Drinker Biddle Gardner Carton

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Organizations depend on committees to bridgethe gap between real-world practice and concep-tual policy deliberations. ACNP is no exception.ACNP has designed its committee structure foreach group to focus on one critical element ofACNP's advocacy agenda. The richness of com-mittee work is found with the expertise and expe-rience of its members and their clinical and geo-graphical diversity. Please consider volunteering

your services for one of ACNP's committees:Education, Membership, Conference Planning,Public Policy, Research, or Practice andProfessional Issues.

The Committee Volunteer Form can be found at www.acnpweb.org. Because this form hasrecently been revised, we encourage you to com-plete and return a form even if you have done soin the past.

Experience the 2008 Public Policy Institutefor Health Professionals

Due July 11, 2008

State Affiliate Award

The ACNP State Affiliate Award is presented to a

state affiliate of the college in recognition of out-

standing achievement. The award is presented annu-

ally to a state affiliate that has made a significant con-

tribution to legislation, policy, or regulation that pro-

motes nurse practitioner practice.

Criteria for a current state affiliate includes demon-

stration of a significant accomplishment in legislation,

policy, or regulation; a summary of the underlying prob-

lem, the actions or activities initiated, and how the state

affiliate organization influenced the outcome of the ini-

tiative; and evidence that the state affiliate was integral

to the outcome of this accomplishment.

Student Scholarship Award

The Student Scholarship Award is presented to a stu-

dent who demonstrates leadership in a regional, state,

or national professional organization; promotes the role

of nurse practitioners through research and participates

in legislative and/or policy making activities at the state,

local, or national level; and who participates in commu-

nity service. The recipient of this award receives a

$1000 scholarship and a 1-year membership in ACNP.

Sharp Cutting Edge Award

The ACNP Sharp Cutting Edge Award was initiated in

1996 in honor of Nancy J. Sharp, MSN, RN, FAAN, an

exemplar in the world of organizational leadership for

more than two decades. The recipients of the Sharp

Cutting Edge Award have demonstrated, like Nancy,

effective efforts above and beyond the ordinary role

responsibilities called for in their position and on behalf

of the nurse practitioner community. The individual is an

NP, nurse, or layperson who has demonstrated extraor-

dinary belief in NPs and efforts to improve the image

and visibility of NPs.

Awards will be presented at the ACNP National

Clinical Conference in Nashville, TN, October

29–November 2, 2008. For more details and informa-

tion, visit www.acnpweb.org.

ACNP CALL FOR AWARD NOMINATIONS

Make a Difference in Your Profession: Volunteer for an ACNP Committee!

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The Center for Health Professions (CHP) at the

University of California, San Francisco published three

significant reports in December 2007 that have seri-

ous implications for NPs. The three reports are

Promising Scope of Practice Models for the Health

Professions, Chart Overview of Nurse Practitioner

Scopes of Practice in the United States, and

Overview of Nurse Practitioner Scopes of Practice

in the United States—Discussion. Go to http://

www/futurehealth.ucsf.edu/publications/index.html

for details.

The reports summarize the landscape of NP

scopes of practice across all 50 states. Reading

these summary reports arouses frustration as one

realizes the countless examples of interstate varia-

tions in legal scopes of practice for NPs. The report

states, “Inefficiencies occur when health care prac-

titioners are not utilized to their full capacity

in terms of their education, training, and compe-

tence, manifesting the inefficiencies in higher

costs, limited access to care, and concerns of qual-

ity and safety.”1

Four areas listed as needing improvement are2:

• Continue trend to expand NP scopes of practice

• Adopt uniform scopes of practice laws

• Rescind board of medicine rule-making authority

• Transform NP programs to reflect growing

demand for primary careClearly, some strategic guidance is needed to

accomplish the above recommendations, alongwith an NP community united in force to accom-plish these tasks together. Does the NP communityhave the courage, spirit, and fortitude to do this?

References1. Dower C, Christian S, O’Neil E. Promising scopes of practice models

for the health professions. December 2007. p. 20. Available at:http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/publications/index.html. AccessedJanuary 6, 2008.

2. Dower C, Christian S, O’Neil E. Overview of nurse practitioner scopesof practice in the United States—discussion. December 2007. p. 24.Available at: http://www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu/publications/index.html.Accessed January 6, 2008.

1555-4155/08/$ see front matter© 2008 American College of Nurse Practitionersdoi:10.1016/j.nurpra.2008.01.010

Iowa: January 1, 2008, was another hallmark for

nurse practitioners in Iowa. Charlotte Kelley ARNP,

MSN, GNP-BC, was granted privileges with the Iowa

Health System (IHS), allowing her to be added to the

list of approved primary care providers (PCPs) for

employees who are insured under the IHS plan.

Kelley owns her own private practice in Des Moines.

Nurse practitioners have long been sole PCPs with

privileges in rural clinics. Although she had privileges in

several rural hospitals where she holds her specialty

clinic in continence rehabilitation, this decision from I

HS marks the first time a NP practicing in her own

urban practice has been given this privilege. This action

now allows even urban lowans the access to a NP as

their PCP. Kelley credits the confidence to move for-

ward to the strong, unfailing collegial support from the

NPs and nurses she has associated with through vari-

ous state and national professional organizations.

Washington, DC: January 1, 2008, Erin Bagshaw,

NP, notified colleagues the exciting news that

Northwest Nurse Practitioner Associates, including

owner Erin Bagshaw and associate Andrea Brassard,

NP, were officially the first independent NPs to be

granted hospital privileges at Sibley Memorial

Hospital in Washington, DC. This was not part of

Bagshaw's original business plan, but as the com-

plexity of care and number of patients needing

hospitalization grew, it became clear that having hos-

pital privileges would make a difference in quality of

care for continuity and better quality of care after

hospitalization.

Both Bagshaw and Brassard can now access hos-

pital records via their office computer, be listed as

PCPs in the hospital, and make rounds if needed.

They are listed in the physician directory of Sibley

Memorial Hospital and are counted as part of the

medical staff. They note that it is their hope and

intent to keep their patients out of the hospital, but if

the need arises, the NPs will have more control over

their care.

CHP Issues New Scope of Practice Reports

Step by Step—One State at a Time—NPs Make Progress

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