On Wednesday Premier John Hogan announced a $2 million year-long pilot project to publicly fund some nurse practitioners. (Have a Nice Day Photo/Shutterstock)
Newfoundland and Labrador is launching a pilot project to publicly fund some nurse practitioners as independent contractors to allow more people to access primary care.
Premier John Hogan announced the project on Wednesday, calling it an incredible step to increase primary care availability.
“Nurse practitioners are highly skilled health professionals and they deliver quality care to meet many needs of patients,” he said.
“What it means for the patients is that nurse practitioners who participate will no longer charge them for out of pocket, medically necessary services.”
Nurse practitioners who take part in the year-long pilot will be considered independent contractors who provide a combination of same-day and scheduled appointments, but will also be tied to family care teams in the provincial health system.
In a statement, the province said funding will also cover access to electronic medical records, along with equipment, clinic space, supplies and administrative support for 1,950 hours of service per year — including 1,660 hours of direct patient care.
Health Minister Krista Lynn Howell said nurse practitioners in the pilot project will receive a salary in line with what practitioners working within Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services make.
WATCH | You might not have to pay out-of-pocket if you see a nurse practitioner: 
Pilot project will give some N.L. nurse practitioners publicly-funded pay — saving patients out-of-pocket charges
As announcements by the Liberal government continue, the latest had to do with nurse practitioners. While a pilot project will cost $2 million, the government and the association representing those medical professionals says it will increase access to primary care for people without a family doctor.
She hopes the pilot can roll out in September, and around 20 of the province’s 351 licensed nurse practitioners are anticipated to take part.
“The role of the nurse practitioner is growing and developing, and we have a scope of practice here in Newfoundland and Labrador that’s one of the highest in the country,” she said.
“We’re hopeful that there will be significant uptake, and right now, we’re in the ballpark of about $2 million for this project, give or take.”
Jessica Peddle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurse Practitioner Association, says the announcement is the model practitioners have been looking for in terms of scope of practice and recognition. (Mark Quinn/CBC)
Jessica Peddle, president of the Newfoundland and Labrador Nurse Practitioner Association, said the announcement recognizes nurse practitioners as key, homegrown primary healthcare providers.
The pilot project will mark the first time in the province that independent practitioners can provide care without cost to the patient, she said.
“This has been years and years of work to come, so to finally see this come to fruition is such an exciting, exciting day for us,” said Peddle.
“They want to be able to provide this care, and they don’t want to charge. So this is huge for them.”
Peddle said the pilot project will be tweaked as problems arise and officials in the province can learn from other provinces with similar programs already in place.
Registered Nurses’ Union of Newfoundland and Labrador president Yvette Coffey said giving more people access to primary care through nurse practitioners can free up space in emergency rooms.Â
It’s a good first step, she said, that she believes can go further in the future.
“We’ve been talking about doing locum agreements for nurse practitioners … so we still got more work to [do], more discussions to be had,” said Coffey.
Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.