The solution could be as easy as a realignment within the medical hierarchy. The health care system should allow nurse practitioners, who already prescribe basic drugs, to continue to do so without a doctor's approval. This would not only provide speedier service to patients, but also offer cheaper health care for many state residents.
State Sen. John Schwarz (R-Battle Creek), a physician, wants to begin this reform. He has introduced a bill, due to appear before the state legislature in February, that would allow nurse practitioners to offer the same services they do now, although without a doctor's approval.
By allowing nurse practitioners to set up clinics and provide more comprehensive medical care, supporters believe the bill could ensure better access to health care. Additionally, they say the bill could lower the high costs of seeking doctors' approval for basic prescriptions. The bill offers the chance for low-income families to have access to prescription medicine without the expense of paying a doctor to sign prescriptions.
To quell fears of nurse practitioners overstepping their qualifications, the nurse practitioners would have to complete a one-year internship with a doctor and 60 hours of additional training every two years.
But some medical associations have reservations about the bill. They fear nurse practitioners could begin to overstep their bounds within the medical profession and begin to compete with doctors. Dissenting voices, such as those from the Washtenaw Physicians' Association, are misguided. Under the proposal, nurse practitioners would not provide any more services than they presently perform on a regular basis. For example, the bill clearly states that nurse practitioners would have the authority to prescribe basic drugs, such as antibiotics, which many already do. They would not be able to prescribe morphine, or any other controlled substances. This concept has arisen elsewhere across the nation -16 other state legislatures passed similar measures.
But nurse practioners will not usurp the power of medical doctors. The bill would not change the current division of labor in medicine - doctors will still be needed for specialized and more intensive care. It will, however, allow nurse practitioners to offer basic medical care at lower costs to patients. The proposed education requirements, in addition to the current standards of training that include a master's degree, guarantee that the quality of medicine will not fall along with the price for care. This proposed legislation is needed to provide qualified caregivers to patients in rural areas or to those who find the present inconveniences almost impossible to overcome to receive high-quality medical care.