Major Media Amplifies Our Message

PPP responds to Bloomberg series: The Nurse Will See You Now

Physicians for Patient Protection
info@physiciansforpatientprotection.org
https://www.physiciansforpatientprotection.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Since 2018, Physicians for Patient Protection has been sounding the alarm about the risks of replacing physicians with nonphysician practitioners, especially considering the declining state of Nurse Practitioner (NP) education in the United States.

Despite sharing stories of patient harm and data showing the lower quality and increased cost of care of physician replacements, we have been disappointed by the lack of media interest in this important patient safety issue, which is often dismissed as a mere ‘turf battle.’ Doctors advocating to ensure that patients have access to physician-led care have been mischaracterized as misogynistic and elitist, often by those profiting from NP education and practice, in an attempt to drown out the real stories of patient injuries. The American Association of Nurse Practitioners labeled us a ‘fringe group’ and criticized media outlets for reporting on our concerns. Disregarding the abysmal shortcomings of the research methodology, “fifty years of research” regarding NP care was, and continues to be, falsely and deceptively presented as dogmatic truth.

For this reason, we are especially gratified that respected journalists Caleb Melby, Polly Mosendz, and Noah Buhayar have started an investigation into the safety of nurse practitioner-led care. We applaud Bloomberg for having the courage to publish this series and to shine a brighter light on the truth.

In the last 25 years, the number of nurse practitioners has quadrupled, growing from 80,000 in 2000 to over 380,000 today, while the number of physicians has increased by just 3%. Standards for nurse practitioner program entry and training quality have declined, with 69% of all Family Nurse Practitioner students attending completely or mostly online training and 22% attending direct entry programs, which allow non-nurses to become nurse practitioners in as few as fifteen months.

Despite having about 5% of the training of physicians, nurse practitioners are legally allowed to care for patients without physician supervision in half the states of the country and in all Veterans Administration facilities.

Studies show that nurse practitioner care can be safe and effective when managing lower-risk conditions under physician supervision. However, no conclusive evidence exists that non-physician practitioners can provide safe and effective medical care without physician oversight. Recent studies have shown the opposite: that the replacement of physicians puts patients at risk for worse outcomes at higher costs.

We believe that patients deserve access to physician-led care and have the right to understand who is providing their care. The Bloomberg series is an important step in educating patients so that they can make informed decisions about their healthcare. We look forward to the remaining installments and urge other media organizations to take on this important subject.

Physicians for Patient Protection has an extensive network of experts on this topic including physicians, patients, attorneys, nurses, and other clinicians available for comment on this subject.

Physicians for Patient Protection is a 501c3 organization. Our mission is to ensure physician-led care for all patients and to advocate for truth and transparency regarding healthcare practitioners. Learn more at https://www.physiciansforpatientprotection.org/