Featured News

The GAPNA National Office began remote operations on March 18th. We will continue to work with you to assist in any way we can. You may experience some delays in response times as we deal with unprecedented crisis. The best method to reach us is via email at gapna@gapna.org. As the world faces the crisis caused by COVID-19, and the virus continues to spread in the United States and around the world, we know that you and your colleagues are on the front lines. We commend you for the monumental task you continue to face.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, 14 national organizations reaffirm that all nurse practitioner (NP) students are required to complete a minimum of 500 supervised direct patient care clinical hours over the course of the NP program. In addition, clinical hours are distributed to support competency development that represents the needs of the chosen population.

The CARES Act was signed into Law on 3/27/20 giving NPs, CNS and PAs authority to order, sign for, Certify and Re-Certify patients for Medicare Home Health.  Implementation of this Law will allow Advance Practice Providers the latitude to provide more timely services to patients and their families without unnecessary delays and cumbersome practice barriers.

Marriott launched the Community Caregiver Program on March 27, 2020, which offers medical workers and support staff special rates at select Marriott hotels as a way to stay close to the hospitals and government buildings where they are assisting with COVID-19 response efforts.

On April 3, at the direction of President Trump, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued critical recommendations to state and local governments, as well as nursing homes, to help mitigate the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in nursing homes. The recommendations build on and strengthen recent guidance from CMS and CDC related to the effective implementation of longstanding infection control procedures.

In a time when our patients need us most, we need to remember we can only serve them well if we are well - physically, mentally, and emotionally. The stress of the current situation takes its toll on even the best of us, so please don't forget to take care of yourself in whatever ways you can! To help you, we've added a selection of personal health and wellness resources to our COVID-19 resources page, and will add more as appropriate. They're at the bottom of the resource page, just click or tap Personal Health & Wellness to see them.

The CARES Act including a provision authorizing APPs to order, certify and re-certify Medicare Home Health was signed into Law on March 27, 2020. The new Law will improve timely access to care for our vulnerable patients by permanently retiring this cumbersome federal barrier to NP practice.

Please join the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a call on COVID-19 with Nursing Homes tomorrow, Wednesday, April 8th at 4:30 PM EST. CMS leadership will provide updates on the agency’s latest guidance and we will be joined by leaders in the field interested in sharing best practices with their peers. The call will be recorded if you are unable to join us.

View a message from GAPNA's President, Deborah Dunn: wishing you strength and courage – safety, health and all that is good. Also, view the resources for APRNs working with older adults.

Thursday, April 30, 2020, 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm, US Eastern. With the many regulations and the increased attention on antipsychotic use in skilled nurse facilities, there is much to review and consider in 2020. Join us for this discussion on anti-psychotic stewardship...