The American Medical Association again endorsed antiquated policies calling for the unnecessary and harmful joint regulation of NPs and other APRNs by boards of medicine and nursing during its recent House of Delegates meeting. These tactics continue to negatively impact patient access to care. The AMA's continued campaign #StopScopeCreep is divisive and dangerous to collaborative health care. The AMA continues to target nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists’ scope of practice. The AMA states they are #FightingForDocs, but who is fighting for patients? Their rhetoric includes continuing to repeat "studies show," but there are no peer-reviewed studies cited. Actually there are no studies cited other than their largest national survey of 1,000 US voters from 2021.
In reviewing the AMA’s Recovery Plan for America’s Physicians, they blatantly tell physicians, “You took care of the nation. It’s time for the nation to take care of you.” That seems to say it all. Who is taking care of the patients? One of the five points in this recovery plan for the physician is to fight “scope creep.” Perhaps physician burnout would not be as high if true collaborative practices were embraced by every team member practicing at the top of their scope of practice and licensure. When a critical component of your “recovery plan” includes opposing and limiting “non-physician’s” ability to practice, is this really “recovery”? When the AMA is calling legislative actions to address expanded AP scope of practice a BATTLEFIELD and a defense of medicine, how can we ever hope to increase patient access to care and improve our nation’s health care?
We do need truth in advertising, however the AMA is not providing it. They base this campaign on internal “data” obtained from 3 telephone interviews and an internet survey of 850 or fewer adults in 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014. My patients know exactly who is caring for them. A recent Facebook post by the AMA touted a study that the AMA says proves that advanced practitioners care is more expensive than physician care. The study cited is actually cost data for the Hattiesburg Clinic in south Mississippi, a state where scope of practice for advanced practitioners is restricted, requiring a collaborative practice with a physician. In the article summary, it is clearly stated that, “if not for the addition of over 100 nurse practitioners and physician assistants to Hattiesburg Clinic over the last 15 years, our organization could not have provided services to thousands of patients who might have otherwise gone without care.” Perhaps the AMA should tell the “rest of the story.”
Patients deserve quality health care. Quality health care can be provided by other members of the health-care team and not necessarily be led by physicians. Quality health care relies on the skills and expertise of each team member, practicing at the top of their licensure, collaborating for the best possible PATIENT outcomes.
Also, I am NOT a “non-physician.” My title is a nurse practitioner, a type of advanced practice provider! Let’s get the term correct; I do not call physicians “Non-NPs”!
Please join APSHO in our positive and truthful campaign #APCareSafeCare. Add this hashtag to your posts about the great care given by advanced practitioners. Post links for studies you read that validate the safety, cost effectiveness, and quality of AP care. Tag not only #APCareSafeCare, but also tag #APSHO! Help us amplify our voices!
Thank you!
Wendy