A Call to Action: AAHFN Advocacy is Supporting ICAN

The Improving Care and Access to Nurses Act (ICAN) promotes patient access to health care
services delivered by the provider of their choice by removing outdated Medicare and Medicaid
barriers on Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs).
APRNs are prepared at the masters or doctoral level to provide primary, acute, chronic and
specialty care to patients of all ages and backgrounds, and in all settings. APRNs include nurse
practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse-midwives, and clinical nurse specialists, and all play a
pivotal role in the future of health care. They provide health care to patients in all settings and
geographic areas, often in rural and underserved community-based settings.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, APRNs were able to practice at the top of their license through

the use of federal and state Public Health Emergency (PHE) waivers. APRNs shored up
healthcare capacity all while providing quality patient care. The ICAN Act will permanently
remove the barriers that were waived during the PHE and improve access to care for patients in
the Medicare and Medicaid programs.

Removing these barriers is consistent with recommendations from several organizations such
as the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, the American Enterprise
Institute, the Brookings Institute, the Bipartisan Policy Center, the World Health Organization,
the National Governors Association, and the Federal Trade Commission.
This is a common-sense bill that will streamline care for patients!
We know that personalized letters have an even greater impact – if this legislation will directly
impact your work or the work of a nurse you know, please consider sharing your story in the
note to Congress.

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