From The President

November 2011

As the leaves begin to turn with the colors of autumn, I reflect on the activity MCNP leadership and members have been engaged in for the past few months. Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge our Newsletter Editor, Lisa Arello, for the dedication and wonderful work she does putting together our newsletter.

We held our first Summit for the 2011-2012 year at Benjamin's Restaurant in Taunton on September 17, 2011. I would like to thank all who attended, as we had representation from across the Commonwealth. In addition to committee updates, we had two guest lecturers. First, Gloria Craven of Policy Strategists led a presentation and discussion about the new payment structures proposed for Massachusetts and how the payment reform effort may effect reimbursement of NP services. Some themes heard from members included barriers to practice and poor reporting of NP data within the practice environment. Elizabeth Donahue led a brilliant presentation about Social Media, in light of launching our Facebook page. With the wonderful attendance and interaction with our members, we look forward to hosting upcoming Summits in other regions in the Commonwealth.

The Education Committee has been working diligently on the planning of the 2012 Northeast Regional Nurse Practitioner Conference. Using the feedback from the evaluations of last year's conference, the committee has built a strong program to address clinical issues across the specialties. Brochures will be mailed after the holidays with more details. For now, please mark your calendars for May 2-4, 2012 in Manchester, New Hampshire.

The Legislative Committee has been meeting monthly to review and develop strategies for many legislative and regulatory issues that affect NP practice in Massachusetts. We have testified on behalf of Nurse Practitioners practicing in Radiology to operate fluoroscopy. We continue to lobby our legislators on the significance of Nurse Practitioners' global signatory authority, which is within our scope of practice and reduces unnecessary administrative burden. We continue to monitor the payment reform legislation to include Nurse Practitioners. We are connecting with the Division of Healthcare Finance and Policy on the All Payers Claims Database to capture the work we are doing in our practices and the positive impact we have on patient care. We are also working with insurance carriers and the Division of Insurance on streamlining credentialing practices.

The Membership Committee has been actively recruiting new members through exhibits at local conferences in addition to enticing existing members to renew with various prize incentives. If you have not renewed your membership, please do so as it is important to support the work of your state NP organization...remember, there is strength in numbers.

MCNP leadership is partnering with other advanced practice groups and other nursing organizations to find common ground and support initiatives that will advance the nursing professional in Massachusetts.
Cathy McKinnon, our Web Editor, launched the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners Facebook page. Please make sure to "Like" Us for quick updates on MCNP news and events.

Lastly, I would like to recognize Pat White for her
years of service as the representative of the Metro South Region. Recently, Pat stepped down from this position due to academic obligations. I would like to thank her for her time and dedication to the region and MCNP. If you are interested in representing the Metro South region, please let me know.

As you can see, MCNP is involved in many activities and there is more work to be done. Your contributions and expertise are most welcome.

Wishing you a delightful autumn season!

Barbara Rosato, MSN, ANP, CDE
President, MCNP