The Newsroom
Latest News from the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research
Successful Medicare Initiative Increases the Supply of Nurse Practitioners to Address Primary Care Shortages
PHILADELPHIA (January 4, 2022) – A new CHOPR study published today in Health Affairs shows that Medicare support for clinical training for nurse practitioners would increase their numbers and address the national shortage of primary care. The study, by researchers at the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, and the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics shows that universities participating in the $200 million Graduate Nurse Education (GNE) Demonstration significantly increased the number of primary care NPs they graduated. More
“One in four Americans, or over 80 million people, lack a primary care provider. Nurse practitioners with advanced clinical training in primary care help the public obtain health care when they need it. There are plenty of qualified applicants to university NP programs but admissions are limited because we don’t have enough primary care clinicians to supervise student learners in their practices.” Co-author Linda H Aiken, PhD, RN
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Illinois Nurse Staffing Legislation Predicted to Reduce Hospital Deaths and Improve Care
According to a new study published in the scientific journal BMJ Open, proposed state legislation in Illinois—HB 2604 Safe Staffing Limits Act– would significantly improve nurse staffing in hospitals and likely save thousands of lives. The cost of improving nurse staffing could be offset by cost savings achieved by the impact of better nurse staffing on shorter length of hospital stays.
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Hospitals with More Inpatient Nurse Practitioners Linked to Better Outcomes, More Satisfied Patients
According to a new study published in Medical Care, hospitals that employ more inpatient nurse practitioners (NPs) have lower surgical mortality, higher patient satisfaction, and lower costs of care. Nurse practitioners are registered nurses (RNs) with advanced graduate education and expanded legal scope of practice to prescribe treatments including pain medications.
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Safe Nurse Staffing Standards in Hospitals Saves Lives and Lowers Costs
A new study published in TheLancet Global Health showed that establishing safe nurse staffing standards in hospitals in Chile could save lives, prevent readmissions, shorten hospital stays, and reduce costs.
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Minimum Nurse-to-Patient Ratios Policy Saves Lives and Lowers Costs
A new study published in TheLancet today showed that a policy establishing minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios in hospitals in Queensland, Australia saved lives, prevented readmissions, shortened hospital stays, and reduced costs.
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EHR Usability Issues Linked to Nurse Burnout and Patient Outcomes
Nurses and other clinicians rely heavily upon the electronic health record (EHR) to provide patient care. This includes clinical decision-making, care planning, patient surveillance, medication ordering and administration, and communication with other health care team members. While data show that EHR technology usability can put added burden on clinicians, the relationships between EHR usability and the job outcomes of hospital staff nurses and surgical patient outcomes have not been explored.