Who is the Enemy?
Our PA and NP Editors-in-Chief weigh in on the recent spate of negative rhetoric stemming from physician groups who still, after all these years, question the competence and qualifications of nurse practitioners and physician assistants.
Bottom line? Health care reform will bring numerous challenges for stakeholders over the next few years. It is imperative that we all focus on what matters most: a collaborative model of care that delivers improved patient outcomes through qualified providers, with access to health care for all Americans. And just as it “takes a village” to raise a child, it will take all of us, working collegially and cooperatively, to meet those challenges.
Our professions have been studied to death. If we continue to focus on the wrong problems, notes health analyst Brian Klepper, PhD, “primary care will continue to flail.”7 Let’s get on with the work of providing that care and researching better methods of preventing and treating diseases. Our discussions should be about the patient!
Are we overreacting? Are you tired of the inaccuracies perpetuated about both of our professions? Tell us what you think at PAeditor@qhc.com or NPeditor@qhc.com.
REFERENCES
1. Hertz BT. Primary care and the keys to its success: newer revenue and practice models to gain in popularity as primary care skills increase in value. Modern Medicine. Aug 25 2012. www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Modern+Medicine+Now/Primary-care-and-the-keys-to-its-success/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/785800?contextCategoryId=40158. Accessed October 11, 2012.
2. American Academy of Family Physicians. Primary care for the 21st century: ensuring a quality, physician-led team for every patient (2012). www.aafp.org/online/etc/medialib/aafp_org/documents/membership/nps/primary-care-21st-century/whitepaper.Par.0001.File.dat/AAFP-PCMHWhitePaper.pdf. Accessed October 12, 2012.
3. Elliott VS. Bringing PAs and NPs on board: what to do if you’re hiring. Am Med News. January 10, 2011. www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/01/10/bisa0110.htm. Accessed October 12, 2012.
4. Park M, Cherry D, Decker SL. Nurse practitioners, certified nurse midwives, and physician assistants in physician offices. NCHS Data Brief. 2011:69. www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db69.htm. Accessed October 11, 2012.
5. Hooker RS, Potts R, Ray W. Patient satisfaction: comparing physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and physicians. Permanente Journal. 1997;1(1). https://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal/sum97pj/ptsat.html. Accessed October 11, 2012.
6. US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, and Certified Nurse-Midwives: A Policy Analysis (1986). www.fas.org/ota/reports/8615.pdf. Accessed October 12, 2012.
7. Klepper B. Care and cost: the wrong battles. https://boards.medscape.com/forums?128@591.ZSwVamdalRA@.2a35001c!comment=1. Accessed October 12, 2012.
