A Nurse Practitioner's View

On my snowy commute into work this morning for what seemed like 100th snow-laden car ride of this winter, I chuckled when the radio newscaster urged people to stay home. As a healthcare professional, we rarely see a "snow day." Hospitals and clinics don't close. So to all of my healthcare, EMS, police and fire (and anyone else needing to get to work) colleagues: Please stay safe out there when Mother Nature throws this nasty weather our way. Some people must get to work whatever the circumstances are.

There is an interesting trend that I'm observing and don't necessarily see how this is going to turn out. I'm seeing more and more nurse practitioner's opening their own autonomous practices. Many of these offices set out to offer care that is personalized, covered under insurance, and of course high-quality. I'm also seeing more NP specialty/sub-specialty practices such as house calls, incontinence, and women's health. This is in a time when more physician practices are joining together in these conglomerations that aren't necessarily tied to hospitals. You'd be hard pressed to find a solo primary care physician these days yet nurse practitioner solo practices are popping up. The talk about the formation of accountable care organizations can be attributed to health care reform and the spurring of large multi-physician practices. What to make of this? I honestly don't know. Many people and patients have said to me "you should start your own prac