The Roles Of Physician Assistants And Nurse Practitioners In Primary Care

Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare exposes a vast conspiracy of political maneuvering and corporate greed that has led to the replacement of qualified medical professionals by lesser trained practitioners. As corporations seek to save money and government agencies aim to increase constituent access, minimum qualifications for the guardians of our nation’s healthcare continue to decline—with deadly consequences. This is a story that has not yet been told, and one that has dangerous repercussions for all Americans. With the rate of nurse practitioner and physician assistant graduates exceeding that of physician graduates, if you are not already being treated by a non-physician, chances are, you soon will be. While advocates for these professions insist that research shows that they can provide the same care as physicians, patients do not know the whole truth: that there are no credible scientific studies to support the safety and efficacy of non-physicians practicing without physician supervision. Written by two physicians who have witnessed the decline of medical expertise over the last twenty years, this data-driven book interweaves heart-rending true patient stories with hard data, showing how patients have been sacrificed for profit by the substitution of non-physician practitioners. Adding a dimension neglected by modern healthcare critiques such as An American Sickness, this book provides a roadmap for patients to protect themselves from medical harm. WORDS OF PRAISE and REVIEWS Al-Agba and Bernard tell a frightening story that insiders know all too well. As mega corporations push for efficiency and tout consumer focused retail services, American healthcare is being dumbed down to the point of no return. It's a story that many media outlets are missing and one that puts you and your family's health at real risk. --John Irvine, Deductible Media Laced with actual patient cases, the book’s data and patterns of large corporations replacing physicians with non-physician practitioners, despite the vast difference in training is enlightening and astounding. The authors' extensively researched book methodically lays out the problems of our changing medical care landscape and solutions to ensure quality care. --Marilyn M. Singleton, MD, JD A masterful job of bringing to light a rapidly growing issue of what should be great concern to all of us: the proliferation of non-physician practitioners that work predominantly inside algorithms rather than applying years of training, clinical knowledge, and experience. Instead of a patient-first mentality, we are increasingly met with the sad statement of Profits Over Patients, echoed by hospitals and health insurance companies. --John M. Chamberlain, MHA, LFACHE, Board Chairman, Citizen Health A must read for patients attempting to navigate today’s healthcare marketplace. --Brian Wilhelmi MD, JD, FASA

Primary Care now highlights two additional areas compared to the previous edition, equity in health services and health, and the overlap between clinical medicine and public health. It provides a basis for future directions in health policy.

Explore the past, present, and future of PA practice. The authors, noted educators, researchers, and practitioners, draw on extensive research to trace the evolution of the PA’s roles and responsibilities in the delivery of health care services. Their presentation of historical content balanced with discussions of the ethical, educational, legislative, and economic forces that are shaping that the profession makes this a contemporary classroom tool for PA’s learning their field and their roles.

The Future of Nursing explores how nurses' roles, responsibilities, and education should change significantly to meet the increased demand for care that will be created by health care reform and to advance improvements in America's increasingly complex health system. At more than 3 million in number, nurses make up the single largest segment of the health care work force. They also spend the greatest amount of time in delivering patient care as a profession. Nurses therefore have valuable insights and unique abilities to contribute as partners with other health care professionals in improving the quality and safety of care as envisioned in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) enacted this year. Nurses should be fully engaged with other health professionals and assume leadership roles in redesigning care in the United States. To ensure its members are well-prepared, the profession should institute residency training for nurses, increase the percentage of nurses who attain a bachelor's degree to 80 percent by 2020, and double the number who pursue doctorates. Furthermore, regulatory and institutional obstacles-including limits on nurses' scope of practice-should be removed so that the health system can reap the full benefit of nurses' training, skills, and knowledge in patient care. In this book, the Institute of Medicine makes recommendations for an action-oriented blueprint for the future of nursing.