From the Research
Yes, nurse practitioners (NPs) in Texas can write home health orders, as supported by the most recent policy analysis 1. Under Texas law, NPs with full practice authority can order home health services for their patients as part of their scope of practice. This authority includes ordering skilled nursing visits, physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, and medical equipment for home use. NPs must have a valid Texas license, appropriate certification in their specialty area, and must be practicing within their authorized scope of practice.
Key Points to Consider
- When writing home health orders, NPs need to provide clear documentation of medical necessity, specific treatment parameters, frequency and duration of services, and relevant patient diagnoses.
- The ability for NPs to write these orders stems from Texas legislation that expanded NP practice authority to improve healthcare access, particularly in underserved areas.
- This authority helps streamline patient care by allowing NPs to directly order necessary home health services without requiring physician co-signature, though some insurance providers or facilities may have their own policies requiring additional oversight.
- A recent policy analysis 1 evaluated the effect of full practice authority (FPA) policy on health welfare outcomes in Texas, finding that FPA policy did not have a statistically significant effect on state-clustered emergency department utilization, average household health expenditures, or poor physical health days, but was associated with decreased NP adverse action reports.
- The analysis supports FPA as a viable policy option for states such as Texas, countering claims that FPA policy adoption results in detrimental sequelae in the health of the population 1.
Additional Context
- It is essential to note that while the study 2 on exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation for coronary heart disease provides valuable insights into the benefits of exercise-based interventions, it is not directly relevant to the question of NPs writing home health orders in Texas.
- The focus should remain on the policy analysis 1 that directly addresses NP practice authority in Texas.