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.