Lori Herf, a Legislative Advocate in the firm's Columbus office, was quoted in the March 6, 2010, Dayton Daily News article, "Doctors, Nurses Battle over Roles in Health Care."
According to the article, nurse-led practices are expected to become more common amid an aging population and a shortage of primary-care physicians. Patients nationwide already rely on advanced practice nurses (APNs) for 25 percent of primary care and for 600 million primary care visits each year, according to Herf, lobbyist for the Ohio Association of Advanced Practice Nurses. While there are serious doctor and nurse shortages, APNs are entering health care careers at nine times the rate of physicians, Herf said.
However, the shift has set off a sometimes testy debate between doctors and nurses over the limits on care that APNs can provide. Nurses frame the issue in terms of providing better access to primary care for patients, while doctors cite concerns about patient safety. Across the country, the American Medical Association has been lobbying state legislatures to block any bills that would expand the scope of practice for APNs, according to the article
"This is a big deal. It almost wouldn't matter what the issue is right now—they're going to fight it. It's part of their national platform now," Herf said.