Nurse Practitioners, PAs No More Wasteful Than Physicians
Posted almost 8 years ago by Nicholas M Perrino
Add yet another study to the scores of published research done over the last 30-40 years that validates the equivalency, if not superiority, of APRNs & PAs juxtaposed to their physician counterparts regarding quality of care, outcomes, and unnecessary waste. A physician-led study no less. Physician and physician groups that continue to battle against APRNs & PAs, defying cost-savings, expanded access, enhanced interdisciplinary collaboration, and progress must care little ultimately about the patient and much more about their own self interests to continue to hold such a contrary position in light of abundant and overwhelming evidence and data.
"UCLA and Harvard Medical School researchers say their analysis dispels commonly held beliefs among physicians that 'advanced-practice clinicians' provide lesser-quality care than doctors while ordering up more unneeded care like X-rays or unnecessary antibiotics. The study, which compares care of doctors to nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs), is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
'Contrary to physician perceptions, [advanced-practice clinicians] provide an equivalent amount of low-value care where the risk of harm is greater than the benefit,' Dr. John Mafi, assistant professor of internal medicine and health services research at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and the study's lead author, said in an interview.
The study indicates that NPs and PAs could more than 'pick up the slack' amid a nationwide shortage of doctors, particularly primary care physicians, researchers say. The Affordable Care Act's expansion of health coverage to 20 million Americans has only exacerbated the physician shortage and fueled the need for PAs and NPs."