AMA UPDATE
Patients want – and deserve – care delivered by physician-led teams
We know from experience and from surveys that patients want and expect their care to be led by physicians , the most highly trained and skilled health care professionals . One aspect of the Recovery Plan for America ’ s Physicians , which the AMA unveiled in June 2022 , seeks to stop the creep of scope of practice intrusions that threaten patient safety and well-being .
The AMA ’ s Recovery Plan outlines a fivepoint strategy to strengthen our physician workforce , recover from the trauma of this pandemic , and improve health care delivery by eliminating some of the most common pain points that threaten to drive physicians from practice . The AMA ’ s comprehensive approach includes :
1
• Supporting further expansion of telehealth to build upon gains in coverage and payment .
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• Reforming the Medicare payment system to promote thriving physician practices .
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• Fixing prior authorization to reduce the burden on practices and minimize dangerous delays in care delivery to patients .
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• Reducing physician burnout and addressing the stigma around behavioral health .
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• Stopping inappropriate scope of practice by non-physicians .
Each of these objectives is within our grasp , and achieving them will streamline health care delivery , improve patient care , and support innovation while simultaneously allowing us to respond more effectively to future public health emergencies .
Allow me to zero in on one of these goals in particular : the need to rein in scope of practice creep and emphasize the importance of physician-led teams . Every team needs a leader , and health care teams are certainly no exception . The fact is that physicians are trained to lead , and draw upon the highest level of education in organized medicine – along with unique skills , training and experience – in diagnosing and treating the patients who lie at the center of everything physicians do .
The AMA strongly supports the physicianled team approach in which each member fulfills a clearly defined role based on his or her expertise and training , and we will defend physicians and the practice of medicine against inappropriate scope of practice expansions from nonphysicians .
Patients depend on the clinical judgment and medical decision-making abilities that physicians bring to the health care equation , which are developed though three to seven years of accredited residency and up to 16,000 hours of clinical training . Ensuring that patients receive the best possible care continues to drive the AMA ’ s emphasis on
Every team needs a leader , and health care teams are certainly no exception .
At the same time , this emphasis in not intended to diminish , in any way , the vitally important contributions that nonphysician providers continue to make in caring for patients . These contributions have never been more valuable than during the COVID-19 pandemic , when our nation ’ s entire health care workforce was stretched to the very limits of human endurance . The response of the nation ’ s health care community has been and remains courageous and exceptional .
Health care teams often include varying combinations of physicians , nurses , physician assistants , pharmacists , social workers , case managers and other health care professionals . The unique strengths , experiences and perspectives of each team member are an asset in providing the best possible patient care , and these assets are maximized when physicians identify , engage and elicit them from each member .
As the physician ’ s powerful ally in patient care , the AMA has worked for decades to turn back inappropriate scope of practice expansions by nonphysicians by working in close collaboration with state medical associations and national specialty societies . This work has resulted in more than 100 state legislative victories in the last three years alone .
Physician-led team-based care that emphasizes communication and collaboration in patient-focused environment offers the best path toward the highest quality care our system can deliver . ■
44 THE JOURNAL OF THE ARKANSAS MEDICAL SOCIETY