Collaborative Scopes of Care Study

Conducted by the Colorado Health Institute—with support from The Colorado Trust and the Caring for Colorado Foundation—this study was used to inform legislative discussion in the 2009 session. Among other recommendations, findings suggest that policymakers consider: reimbursement policies to enhance the use of dental hygienists in areas where oral health access is lacking; more prescriptive authority for advance practice nurses (APNs); delivery of health care through interdisciplinary teams including physicians, APNs and other health care professionals; requiring insurers to disclose to the Colorado Insurance Commissioner their reimbursement policies for allied health professionals providing identical services to physicians and dentists; and, through demonstration projects, testing the effectiveness, safety and quality of care provided by advance practice nurses, physician assistants and dental hygienists as primary health care providers in medically underserved areas of Colorado.