What an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Should Know About Reimbursement

The acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) role is being used more often in acute and critical care settings. Since the development of ACNP certification in the mid-1990s, many factors have led to the increasing use of the role. Some of these factors include the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education’s decision to limit the resident workweek to 80 hours,¹  several reports about the shortage of intensivists^2,3  and using the ACNP to augment care of critically ill patients. As the use of the ACNP position increases and the role matures in caring for the critically ill population, reimbursement for ACNP services has become more common. Practicing ACNPs should understand the rules governing reimbursement in their practice arena. This article is the first in a series focusing on basic principles about reimbursement as well as some controversial areas in billing for...