A Nurse Practitioner's View

Lately, it seems there is ratcheted up rhetoric on nurse practitioner practice making us prime targets for all things anti-NP. The WSJ reports on a study that examined the prescribing habits of NPs and whether there is Pharma influence on those habits. The study found that of the 263 surveyed NP respondents, 93% reported that free gifts had no effect on their likelihood to prescribe the medication that was being detailed by the representative. The study concludes that since many NPs had regular contacts with these reps in the form of face to face and industry backed lunches/conferences, there could be a degree of subconscious influence on prescribing habits - findings that are similar to prescribing habits of our physician colleagues. As you can see in the comments section that follows the story on the WSJ, some are using this study to once again attack NP practice. The comments are laughable as the insinuation is that NPs aren't really educated on pharmacotherapy and therefo...

Congratulations to NP JoAnne Lutz of the Oregon Medical Group for being named in the Top 5 rankings of providers at DrScore.com. According to this press release , DrScore.com is " ... an interactive online survey site where patients can rate their physicians, as well as find a physician based on their service level preference. " Steve Feldman, MD, founder of DrScore, states, " This year marks the first time a nurse practitioner has been in the top five runners up,” Dr. Feldman said. “This may reflect an important trend for medical practices as health care continues to evolve —everyone on the frontlines is vitally important in improving patient satisfaction. ” Important trend indeed and some additional proof that NPs are highly regarding by their patients. It's also time to expand these rankings to other providers beyond physicians to include nurse practitioners and physician assistants to name a few.