The Impact of Nurse Practitioner Full Practice Authority on Chronic Condition-Related Readmissions and Emergency Department Visits in the United States

BACKGROUND: Chronic conditions affect over 60% of US adults and drive nearly 90% of the nation's $4.9 trillion in annual health care costs. Nurse practitioners (NPs), particularly in Full Practice Authority (FPA) states, may be critical to improving outcomes and reducing health care burdens. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate whether nurse practitioner FPA reduces hospital readmissions and emergency department visits related to chronic conditions across the United States. RESEARCH DESIGN: A secondary data analysis using restricted Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) data (2010-2019) was performed on site at the Agency of Health Research and Quality. We applied incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and difference-in-difference (DiD) models. MEASURES: Primary outcomes included readmission and emergency visit rates for five chronic conditions: high cholesterol (n=33,409), high blood pressure (n=38,858), diabetes (n=13,075), emphysema (n=2,509), and asthma (n=17,018). Covariates included county-level socioeconomic factors and rurality. RESULTS: States with FPA had modestly lower IRRs for high cholesterol (0.9863), high blood pressure (0.9758), diabetes (0.9746), and asthma (0.9710) compared with restricted states. DiD models showed inconsistent effects, with most FPA*Post coefficients lacking statistical significance. However, rural FPA counties frequently showed significantly lower readmission rates, notably for diabetes and high cholesterol. CONCLUSIONS: NP FPA is associated with slight reductions in chronic condition readmissions, particularly in rural areas. While DiD models showed limited policy-specific impact, IRR findings support FPA as a promising strategy to enhance chronic disease management and access to care. Future research should address model limitations and explore causal pathways

Advanced Practice Nurses · Case management · Chronic disease · Disease management · Emergency department · MEDLINE · Multiple Chronic Conditions · Nurse practitioners · Practice nurse · Emergency and Acute Care Studies · Nursing Roles and Practices · Primary Care and Health Outcomes

• Exploring nurse practitioners' views on the key elements shaping their professional identities within interspecialty practice

  Open Access•Yu‐che Chang, Ida Ayu Setyarini et al.•Medical Education•2026

  Añadir item

• The global burden of multiple chronic conditions

  Open Access•Cother Hajat, Emma Stein•Preventive Medicine Reports•2018

  Añadir item

• Projecting the chronic disease burden among the adult population in the United States using a multi-state population model

  Open Access•John Pastor Ansah, Chi‐Tsun Chiu•Frontiers in Public Health•2023

  Añadir item