Physicians must continue to oversee nurse practitioners in Pennsylvania | PennLive letters

In a recent article, “House measure would allow NPs to practice independently,” nurse practitioners continue to push for legislation on independent practice without physician oversight.

The Pennsylvania Medical Society (PAMED) vigorously supports and advocates for physician-led, team-based care whether by direct supervision or written collaborative agreement of all non-physician practitioners and acknowledges nurse practitioners as a vital member of that team. The collaborative agreement ensures access to a physician in a patient’s care; acting as a safety net for any case beyond the training of a non-physician practitioner.

The article mentions the laws of other states in a continued effort to say expanding non-physician roles will expand access to care. But research from the American Medical Association mapped out locations of primary care physicians and nurse practitioners in rural, western states and showed they tend to practice in the same areas of the state as physicians, regardless of scope of practice laws.

Studies continue to show that scope of practice expansion for all non-physician providers can lead to safety concerns, increased health care costs and an increase in unnecessary testing.

There is no need to expand scope of practice laws only to put the patients of Pennsylvania at risk. As established in their collaborative agreement, CRNPs can already diagnose, prescribe and treat illnesses. Nothing in current law limits patient access to CRNPs.

Patient care is most effective when delivered through health care teams, a cadre of non-physician roles with physician oversight. We will continue to fight for quality patient care in Pennsylvania.

F. Wilson Jackson, III, MD, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society.