Administrative issues for use of nurse practitioners.

As nurse administrators increasingly use nurse practitioners in healthcare delivery systems to provide high-quality, more cost-effective care, they must recognize and take action on key practice issues--autonomy, title protection, admitting privileges, physician back-up, and reimbursement. Careful attention and action directed to enhancing nurse practitioner usefulness will increase the flexibility of nurse practitioner utilization within specific institutions and across a diverse network of healthcare delivery sites structured to provide continuity of care.