On March 7, 2014 the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) issued a policy paper as part of its on-going effort to urge state legislators to open health care markets to a broader range of providers. In its paper, the agency focused on expanding the scope of practice for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and cautioned that physician supervision requirements for APRNs may harm competition among health care providers, leading to higher costs and reduced quality of care. The FTC has a well-established role in promoting competition in health care through enforcement, advocacy, and policy agendas such as this.
For further analysis of the FTC's policy paper and the agency's other actions to promote increased roles for non-traditional providers, read the Alert authored by Bruce Sokler and Farrah Short of Mintz Levin's Antitrust Practice.
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