Patient Care or Market Share, Two seemly opposing forces.
Scott MacStravic over at World Healthcare Blog authored a great piece the other day regarding the physician shortage and the use of mid-level providers as a means of improving access to care. I wanted to take an opportunity to echo Scott’s comments with this subject.
Traditionally much of the healthcare that is delivered has been through the use of a physician model that allows for limited involvement of mid-level providers (Physician Assistants, Advanced Practice Nurses, Others). While some states utilize mid-level providers in greater capacities than others and with varying degrees of prescriptive authority and practice scopes; in light of the shortage of physician providers it makes sense to utilize these professionals more than we do.
Clearly advanced practice nurses and physician assistants as well as pharmacists have the requisite training to expand their scope of practice authority to help meet the growing needs of patients. A common thread of poor access to care and insurability problems as I mentioned on Scotts post have reach pandemic proportions.
Scott poses an interesting question regarding the medical community’s hesitation to expand the role of mid-level providers in that the impetus for such action may be profit driven or simply a matter of prideful jurisdiction. Certainly an influx of mid-level providers into the healthcare market place as independent practitioners will increase competition and may impinge on some provider’s market share, but if healthcare is to resolve the issues of today’s medical environment we need to look outside the box.
Improving access to care, ensuring patient safety, and providing high quality inexpensive services is what healthcare needs today more than a fair distribution of reimbursement dollars.
Over the coming years the demand for primary care providers is likely to increase as with the demand for acute care services as the baby boomers retire. The “system” as we call it can’t keep pace with the demands that are on it today in many instances. Clearly there is a need now and in the foreseeable future for mid-level providers to help pick up some of the slack.
The time has come for all providers to collaboratively develop the most economical and efficient use of all our combined talents to improve access to care and ensure high standards are being attained and maintained. Jurisdictional boundaries and other impediments to the delivery of healthcare must be removed if patients are going to benefit from what every healthcare “system” we end up with. If the influential forces in healthcare can focus on the needs of the patient and avert an eye away from investor interests and market share, I suspect many of today’s healthcare issues can be mitigated in part or entirely.
About the Author
Mike Pringle is the author of Healthcare Today where he offers commentary and insight regarding today’s healthcare issues. Additionally he provides regular commentary for Red Scrubs and editorial content for Future Healthcare. He has over 20 years of nursing experience working both domestically and internationally. Mike has a Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing and a Masters Degree in Public Administration with a Healthcare emphasis. He specializes in both Emergency and Critical Care Nursing. He currently works at Falmouth Hospital as a Shift Manager for the emergency department.
