The most recent American Medical Association (AMA) plan to discredit and control healthcare professionals who are not physicians (the Scope of Practice Partnership [SOPP]) has been in the planning stages for the past few years and now, that plan is being put into action. The AMA and a few state medical associations are gearing up to launch some very negative campaigns, including claims that "allowing nonphysicians to practice medicine[horizontal ellipsis] places patients at risk".
Unfounded Accusations
In the July 2006 issue of The Journal for Nurse Practitioners, Marilyn Edmunds stated that the Texas Medical Association used such terms as "dangerous," "taking short cuts," and "jeopardizing patient safety" to describe healthcare provided by "allied health professionals," in a document widely distributed to patients in Texas. Clearly, this is an attack campaign designed to malign healthcare providers who are not physicians and not a campaign designed to protect the safety of patients.
The SOPP was created in an effort to concentrate the resources of organized medicine against what the AMA calls "allied health professionals," "nonphysicians," and "limited licensure healthcare professionals."
The SOPP plans to fund studies this year to focus on two areas: (1) discrediting access to care arguments made by "allied health professionals," particularly in rural states, and (2) examining the education of "allied health professionals" to use as a comparison when talking with legislators.
The Coalition for Patient Rights
In response to the negative attack by the SOPP, 33 healthcare groups have come together to form the Coalition for Patients' Rights (CPR). The purpose of this coalition is to combat the misinformation and divisive efforts of the AMA. In a joint statement, CPR declared, "It is inappropriate for physician organizations to advise consumers, legislators, regulators, policy makers, or payers regarding the scope of practice of licensed healthcare professionals whose practice is authorized in statutes other than medical practice acts." Further, the "coalition is calling on AMA and other physician groups to cease their divisive efforts to oppose the established practice rights of CPR members."
A complete list of coalition members, along with press releases and a joint statement, can be found on the CPR Web site at http://www.patientsrightscoalition.org. Nursing is well represented among the members of this coalition, but psychologists, physical therapists, chiropractors, and speech therapists have also joined in the fight.
Much research over the past 20 years has documented that NPs provide quality, safe, and cost-effective healthcare. There have been no studies to show otherwise. Numerous studies have demonstrated that NPs improve access to care in underserved areas. Additionally, the SOPP has not cited any credible evidence to show that the scopes of practice of CPR members are not safe or justify further investigation.
A campaign designed to slander or misinform the public about healthcare providers who are not physicians is not the solution to the healthcare crisis that this country faces. All healthcare providers must come together with positive dialogue to meet the needs of an aging population and 45 million uninsured Americans, and to find solutions to a delivery system with many shortage areas.
Nurse practitioners must stay alert and combat the threat posed by a negative campaign focused on diminishing their role in healthcare. Support our professional organizations who are working to present a positive message to the public and advocating on our behalf.