By Adam Sagot February 3, 2026 As New Jersey sunsets pandemic-era emergency orders, lawmakers are being asked to make permanent what was always meant to be temporary. During COVID-19, emergency waivers expanded scope of practice to address an extraordinary public health crisis. Those waivers also enabled the rapid growth of private businesses built on loosened...

Pro: When APNs need a contract to treat patients, access collapses By Marcel Kaganovskaya Senate Bill S2996 offers a clear and responsible path to sustain New Jersey’s overburdened health care system. The state’s emergency departments are already stretched to the breaking point. Average emergency room visits now exceed three hours — among the longest wait...

She was absolutely, utterly exhausted. It was the morning of Christmas Eve, and her kids, almost 4 and 2, woke her up “way too early,” excited for the holiday. A so-so night’s sleep didn’t help the fatigue that came on after a three-and-a-half hour drive to her parents’ home in Eastampton Township, Burlington County, the...

Abstract Introduction: Nurse practitioner (NP) organizations have advocated for expanding the NP scope of practice as a means of meeting the increasing demand for primary care services. Florida enacted the NP unsupervised practice of medicine (UPM) as part of House Bill 607 in July 2020, with the stipulation that autonomous NPs practice within primary care....

Abstract Background: Full practice authority laws that permit nurse practitioners (NPs) to practice independently and prescribe medications may influence NPs’ workforce outcomes. Purpose: To examine whether implementation of full practice authority laws affect NP self-employment, average earnings, and likelihood of residing in a primary care health professional shortage area (HPSA). Methods: A nationally representative U.S....

The health care industry is undeniably going through a transformative period in terms of advancements, one that could lead to countless lives saved and health maintained. But one element of this transformation threatens to roll back much of the progress we’ve already made, permanently changing for millions of New Jersey patients which health care professional can oversee...

New Jerseyans walking into an exam room with a bad case of the flu, back pain, stomachache or any number of other ailments have for years now increasingly been evaluated, diagnosed and treated by a nurse practitioner working with a physician. Now that collaboration may be coming to an end, and nurse practitioners could soon...

When a friend or loved one requires an expert medical opinion or emergency care, those involved hope to receive the highest quality health care from the most qualified health care professionals. In these stressful times, we rely on medical experts to guide us down the best path. However, there’s a current debate in Trenton over...