Today I read an article on the Bloomberg
Business Week, Politics & Policy website regarding the looming shortage of
U.S. doctors by Alex Wayne. Mr. Wayne did a great job relating to his readers a
real challenge ahead of us. In 2014, approximately 30 million new covered lives
will be seeking medical care and who will actually take care of these new
patients? We already have an issue with access to primary care in certain areas
and it is largely due to the shortage of licensed independent practitioners
(Physicians, Advance Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs)). Imagine what an
increase of 30 million lives will do to us. It does not take an economist to
quickly realize that the law of supply and demand here would alert us that we
are facing a major crisis.
Sometimes what upsets me the most are the
comments made by the readers. Have you noticed that for the most part, very few
readers actually offer a solution? In fact, it’s all about a political rhetoric
and pointing fingers at each other. Let’s forget the political polarization if
you will for a second and think about the issue and not our political alliance.
I feel better now, since I have said it.
The real purpose of my blog today was to offer
a partial solution for a change. As a member of the healthcare team I am very
worried about the increase in 30 million more lives to cover and the shortage
of primary care physicians. Many new covered lives will be looking for a
licensed practitioner for an annual physical and preventive care. I believe
that the States should eliminate the barriers to practice for all APRNs and
allow them to practice to the full extend of their training. By doing so
Americans would have access to safe, evidence-based, affordable and efficient
preventive care, which has been shown to be extremely beneficial in many
studies. I urge all readers to familiarize themselves with a landmark report
offered by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) on the Future of Nursing.
Will my proposed solution completely solve our
problem? NO, it will not. I am certain of one thing, this kind of State reform
is worth investing in.
Dr. Syl
