What We Do For Patients
Healthcare is complex. Credentials are confusing.
Too often, patients are expected to navigate it all without clear information.
We want to help you understand who is caring for you and what training that person has, so you can ultimately decide who ought to be responsible for medical decisions about your health — especially when seconds matter.
We want you to know that you have the right to ask about the credentials and training of clinicians, and can request to see a physician or ask whether a physician is supervising your care.
Medicine and Nursing are different
Nurse Practitioners practice advanced nursing, while physicians practice medicine – entirely different disciplines. Education in one does not translate into expertise in the other.
The explosion of online NP schools with near-100% acceptance rates should be contrasted against the rigorous, standardized education of a physician.
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) and Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc/DPAS) degrees are administrative, not clinical degrees.
It’s hard to know who is treating you in healthcare.
With the alphabet-soup of initials on many nametags, it’s hard to know who is treating you, and what those initials really mean regarding education type and level.
We’re here to help clear the confusion.
Your costs, the healthcare systems’ revenue
Tests and referrals cost you more money, but make the hospitals a whole lot of money.
Non-physician practitioners order more labs, imaging, and make more referrals than physicians.
Seeing an actual physician could save you healthcare dollars.
Your Personal Injury May be Judged at a Lower Standard of Care
NPs and PAs operate under different regulatory frameworks and in many malpractice cases have been held to a “nurse standard” rather than a physician standard. This divergence creates serious liability and patient‑safety implications when you see an NPPs who is operating independently or with minimal supervision.
It can be harder for you to obtain fair compensation and for oversight mechanisms to align with physician‑level expectations.
Evidence shows, despite promises, nurse practitioners have not moved to rural areas even after legislators removed physician supervision and collaboration.
Non-physician practitioners (NPPs): NPs and PAs do not go to rural areas in any greater numbers than physicians do, yet NPPs use rural access as an argument for them to work independently of any physician. Rural citizens deserve the same level of healthcare as everyone else.
NPP’s are not equivalent to physicians; we need more physicians to address the shortage of trained physicians.
Tell Us Your Story
Our Tell Us Your Story section will help you share your own healthcare story with us.
If you’re concerned about the type of healthcare you’ve received, you’ll find resources to report your concerns.
If there is a resource you would like to see added, please email us at info@physiciansforpatientprotection to let us know.