Huge thank you to Rita Agarwal, MD and the California Society of Anesthesiologists for your fantastic review of our book Patients at Risk: The Rise of the Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant in Healthcare. According to Dr. Agarwal,
"This is a deep dive into a troubling trend in US healthcare and a must-read for anyone with an interest in healthcare policy and patient advocacy."
A few of our favorite sections:
"The authors spend a great deal of time exploring the reasons why NP and PA independent practice has increased so dramatically in medicine. They do a critical analysis of the available literature (scant as it is), debunking the myth that non-physician providers save money and improve access to care."
"They review the studies that are frequently quoted by nursing leadership to support these claims, and find the studies to have been misquoted and misinterpreted. Unfortunately, many politicians and hospital administrators still believe that NPs and PAs with lesser training, lower salary, and increased willingness to follow protocols and guidelines will save costs. Study after study shows that non-physician providers order significantly more unnecessary tests and obtain many more consults."
" The authors also spend time describing the consequences of using non-physicians who have neither the right education nor the experience in positions that can impact peoples’ lives. They have collected hundreds of stories, and have scoured the literature for evidence both in favor of NP/PA independent practice and against. They have interviews with patients, NP students, practicing NPs and PAs, residents, nurses, and physicians. The authors make a compelling case against independent practice for non-physicians. They make a plea to nursing organizations and boards to better regulate the quality of education provided to the dedicated people seeking additional qualifications."
You can read the complete review here.
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