A new commission of national nurse leaders, healthcare executives, policy experts and academics has launched to change the way healthcare systems reimburse for nurse services.
The Commission for Nurse Reimbursement aims to vet and create new models of payment for nursing services within hospitals and healthcare systems that can be adopted by CMS and insurance providers, it said in an April 12 release.
Unlike most healthcare services, nursing services are not billable, according to the press release.
"The current financial model for nursing dates back to the 1930s, one that rolled nursing services into 'room rates' for insurance reimbursement and placed nursing services as a cost to healthcare systems," John Welton, PhD, RN, professor emeritus at Boulder-based University of Colorado, said in the release.
The commission will work with nursing organizations and healthcare groups nationwide to propose a solution to Congress that will consider the needs of nurses nationwide, while improving the quality and reducing the cost of healthcare, according to the release.