ICAN Act Introduced in Senate

ICAN Act Introduced in Senate

On Thursday, Dec. 8, the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR). This first-of-its-kind legislation was originally introduced in the House of Representatives on Sept. 13. AANP applauds the legislation’s goal of promoting patient access to health care, delivered by the provider of their choice, by removing outdated Medicare and Medicaid barriers on nurse practitioners (NPs) and other advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).

Specifically, this bill would authorize NPs to order and supervise cardiac and pulmonary rehabilitation, refer patients for medical nutrition therapy, certify and recertify a patient's terminal illness for hospice eligibility, have their patients fully included in the beneficiary attribution process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program, perform all mandatory examinations in skilled nursing facilities, certify when their patients with diabetes are in need of therapeutic shoes and more. Removing these barriers is consistent with recommendations from several organizations, such as the National Academy of Medicine, the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institute, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the World Health Organization, the National Governors Association and the Federal Trade Commission.

AANP urges every NP to utilize the AANP Advocacy Center and contact their elected officials to encourage them to support the ICAN Act.