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Professional Homecare Providers (PHP) is a
non-profit professional organization for independent nurses. We
presently have four branches in Wisconsin. These branches hold
meetings throughout the year to educate and inform our members. We
also conduct an annual Fall Conference with numerous sessions to keep
our members informed about requirements for independent nurses and case
coordinators. We include sessions for nurses just entering this
field as well as sessions for experienced nurses.
WHAT IS AN INDEPENDENT NURSE?
In
Wisconsin, an independent nurse is a licensed RN or LPN who has obtained a provider number from the Bureau of Health
and Family Services. This provider
number allows them to bill the Wisconsin Medicaid Program as a third
party payer, for services covered and authorized by the Medicaid
program.
There are more
than 1500 independent nurses in the State of Wisconsin. There are
two types
of Independent Nurse Providers.
· Respiratory
Care Service Providers—nurses
that are certified to provide care to ventilator-dependent patients.
· Private
Duty Nursing Providers—nurses
that provide care to patients that are not ventilator-dependent.
In order to
receive a provider number, all nurses are required to be CPR certified
and possess a current RN or LPN license.
To become
ventilator certified, nurses are required to show evidence of successful
completion of an approved ventilator course. Separate courses are given
for adults (age 17 and over) and children (ages 0 to 16). Nurses that
care for ventilator-dependent patients in both age groups must complete
both courses. Certification lasts for 24 months. Nurses must be
re-certified before their certification expires in order to continue
getting paid by the Wisconsin Medicaid Program.
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