A board member of Physicians for Patient Protection, Christin Giordano McAuliffe, MD, who was formerly a Physician Assistant, challenges the Association of American Medical College’s claim that the primary care physician shortage can be solved by expanding the roles of nurse practitioners and physician assistants. Her article in the Annals of Internal Medicine asserts that patients deserve physician-led care.
Dr. McAuliffe says in her op-ed: “The AAMC underrecognizes the reality of high-quality primary care and the value of PCPs. Such statements as ‘primary care most commonly includes treating less complex conditions… in patients with fewer comorbidities’ are not true and disparage the work and expertise of PCPs.”
She also called for “return[ing] to respecting the importance of an intelligent, thoughtful PCP at the head of the health care team. We should not be seeking to replace PCPs with NPPs. Instead, we need policies that focus on increasing the number of PCPs by addressing education, administrative burden, and equitable reimbursement. Such articles as the recent AAMC report that do not recognize the differences in expertise and outcomes of NPPs and PCPs may contribute to PCP burnout.”
At Physicians for Patient Protection, we are raising awareness that patients have the right to the expertise of a physician-led team.
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