The Use of Advanced Practice Nurses in the Acute Care Setting

By 2014, an estimated additional 32 million United States citizens will have access to health insurance, either from a private insurer or Medicaid, regardless of pre-existing conditions. The increased number of the insured population represents a significant increase in potential consumers seeking health care. Considering the fact that many acute care emergency department (ED) settings are already struggling with patient flow and waiting times, hospitals will have to seek new approaches to meet the demands of 32 million additional patients.