Medscape article about NP organization merger and their primary care push

[Guest 123snap]

I just got an email from Medscape and the headline article was about the 2 NP organizations merging and that one of their state goals was a push as primary care providers. It also stated they would like to see a national consensus on scope of practice. No all bad things at all.

 

I did find this quote interesting:

 

"In response to the announcement of the merger, Reid Blackwelder, MD, president-elect of the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), said in an email: "We wish these 2 groups well in their reorganization. We look forward to working with them and other health care professional organizations to improve the quality of care for all patients."

However, he reiterated the AAFP's position that patients are better served with physician-led healthcare teams and that NPs should not deliver healthcare independently: "Research consistently demonstrates that when patients have a personal relationship with a primary care physician and a physician-led health care team that focuses on meeting each individual's needs, the quality of care goes up, patients' outcomes improve, and the use — and therefore the cost — of services is reduced," he said. "

 

 

Makes me feel pretty good about the PA role. In my area there seems to be a large up swing in NPs with more hiring of them than PA lately, however in practice I haven't felt any animosity, so that is great.