Nurse practitioner oversight ratios and labor market outcomes

Abstract

Nurse practitioners are important to the US healthcare system; however, many states impose physician oversight ratios, which limit the number of NPs a physician may supervise. In this study, we evaluate the effect of eliminating physician oversight ratios on the supply of NPs by conducting case studies of three states—New York, Nevada, and Pennsylvania—using synthetic control and related approaches. Surprisingly, we find that eliminating oversight ratios had little effect on the labor supply of NPs. For New York, we also analyze the effects of eliminating oversight ratios on wages and hours worked and again find null results.