Reimbursement to nurses
(1) In counties of the state that are neither part of a metropolitan statistical area nor a primary statistical area, a carrier offering a health benefit plan shall not discriminate between a physician and an advanced practice registered nurse not practicing under the direction of a physician when establishing reimbursement rates for covered services that could be provided by an advanced practice registered nurse or a physician.
(2) In order to improve access to primary care and choices of providers, a carrier providing a health benefit plan shall evaluate an application for status as a participating provider from an advanced practice registered nurse utilizing objective and reasonable criteria and shall take into account the provider-to-covered-person ratio for the covered benefits that appropriately may be provided by the advanced practice registered nurse. The carrier shall make a determination on an application for participating provider status submitted by an advanced practice registered nurse, and notify the applicant of its determination, within the same period in which the carrier makes a participating provider determination for physicians. If the application is denied, the carrier shall specify the reason for the denial. If the application is approved, the carrier shall list the advanced practice registered nurse in the provider directory for the health benefit plan.