Removing Barriers to Advanced Practice Registered Nurse Care: Home Health and Hospice Services

The landmark 2011 Institute of Medicine report, The Future of Nursing, Leading Change, Advancing Health, recommends that advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) be allowed to certify patients for Medicare payment of home health and hospice services.  However, Medicare laws and regulations prohibit APRNs from conducting certification for these services.

This report shows how removing this barrier would benefit consumers, physicians, and the health care system.  Allowing APRNs to certify home health and hospice services can potentially decrease costs, expedite treatment by eliminating the need for physician sign-off, and allow patient-centered health care teams to practice more efficiently.