Scope of Practice: Colorado and the Current Debate

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, more than half a million Coloradans will be newly insured--which translates into an increased demand for primary care providers. Due to market dynamics, nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) are playing an increasingly critical role in primary care delivery in Colorado. The policies that determine these providers' scope of practice is currently being debated in Colorado and across the nation. In this presentation to the AHEC Conversations Series at the University of Colorado--Anschutz Medical Campus, Athena Dodd discussed how CHI's workforce survey data can inform the scope of practice debate in Colorado.