State policies restrict the contributions of the nurse practitioner workforce in delivering care to patients with substance use disorders

ABSTRACT The United States is experiencing an epidemic of drug overdoses. Substance use disorders (SUDs) can be treated in primary care settings when adequate staff is available, but primary care physician shortages hinder this care. The growing primary care nurse practitioner (NP) workforce is well situated to address demands for care. However, despite recent federal policy changes expanding the ability to prescribe buprenorphine, state level scope of practice restrictions for NPs persist that limit their ability to meet demands for SUD primary care. A large body of evidence suggests that state level NP scope of practice restrictions specifically limit SUD care provision, especially in underserved areas. We recommend expanding NP scope of practice restrictions to full authority so that the NP workforce can be leveraged to address the drug overdose crisis.