The chief spokesman for the American Association of Nurse Practitioners believes he and his colleagues can serve as an integral part of the solution to the VA’s treatment-backlog woes. “Nurse practitioners, clinicians who provide quality health care in every community across this country, … can offer care for our veterans in any health care setting,” Ken P. Miller said in a Sept. 8 statement. Miller, the president of the organization, urged Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald to hire more nurse practitioners, and eliminate bureaucratic barriers that prevent them from using “the full extent of their education and expertise.”