The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC) Receives Letter of Support from Optum

CHICAGO, Nov. 23, 2016 -- The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) eNLC has received a letter of support from Optum. This organization joins a list of more than 25 others that recognize that nursing care in the 21st century must be dynamic and fluid across state boundaries and that the NLC offers the best mechanism by which to achieve this goal.

Mary Jo Jerde, MBA, BSN, Senior Vice President, Center for Clinician Advancement, UnitedHealth Group, said, “We believe that our  mission of making health care work better for everyone is consistent with our support of the eNLC. Participation by more states in the Nurse Licensure Compact will increase standardization and centralization of multistate licensing processes, making these processes more efficient and effective.”

Allowing nurses to have mobility across state borders, the eNLC increases access to care while maintaining public protection. The eNLC, which is an updated version of the current Nurse Licensure Compact, allows for registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical/vocational nurses (LPN/VNs) to have one multistate license, with the ability to practice in both their home state and other NLC states. There are currently 25 states in the NLC.

The eNLC enables nurses to provide telehealth nursing services to patients located across the country without having to obtain additional licenses. In the event of a disaster, nurses from multiple states can easily respond to supply vital services. Additionally, almost every nurse, including primary care nurses, case managers, transport nurses, school and hospice nurses, among many others, need to routinely cross state boundaries to provide the public with access to nursing services, and a multistate license facilitates this process.

Boards of nursing (BONs) were the first health care provider regulatory bodies to develop a model for interstate practice with the original adoption of the NLC in 1997 and its implementation in 2000. While other health care provider regulatory bodies are just getting started in this process, the NLC has been operational and successful for more than 15 years.

Additional information about the eNLC, including a list of all supporting organizations, can be found on nursecompact.com.

About Optum and its parent company, UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (UHG) is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the nation's health care system work better for everyone through two distinct business platforms - UnitedHealthcare, the health benefits business, and Optum, the health services business. The workforce of 240,000 people, including over 20,000 nurses and over 2,700 APRNs, serves the health care needs of more than 133 million people worldwide, funding and arranging health care on behalf of individuals, employers, and government. Within the UHG family, Optum is a leading information and technology enabled health services business dedicated to helping make the health system work better for everyone.

About NCSBN
Founded March 15, 1978, as an independent not-for-profit organization, NCSBN was created to lessen the burdens of state governments and bring together boards of nursing (BONs) to act and counsel together on matters of common interest. NCSBN’s membership is comprised of the BONs in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and four U.S. territories — American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands and the Virgin Islands. There are also 27 associate members that are either nursing regulatory bodies or empowered regulatory authorities from other countries or territories.

NCSBN Member Boards protect the public by ensuring that safe and competent nursing care is provided by licensed nurses. These BONs regulate more than 4.5 million licensed nurses.

Mission: NCSBN provides education, service and research through collaborative leadership to promote evidence-based regulatory excellence for patient safety and public protection.

The statements and opinions expressed are those of NCSBN and not the individual member state or territorial boards of nursing.

Contact: Dawn M. Kappel
Director, Marketing and Communications
312.525.3667 direct
312.279.1034 fax
[email protected]