Patients at Risk

Over the last decade, as physicians have increasingly turned to employed practice to cope with declining reimbursement and increased administrative requirements, our role in advocacy has diminished. Doctors are afraid to speak out because we fear being fired and losing our livelihoods.  But without physician advocacy, corporate interests, academic centers, and government agencies are increasingly...

Arthur Smolensky, MD describes his experience creating a Small Democratic Group (SDG) to take over emergency department staffing from corporate contract management groups. https://www.linkedin.com/in/arthur-smolensky-719806/ PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

In today's episode, Teresa Camp-Rogers, MD, MS analyzes a study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, the journal of the American College of Physicians, entitled  Inappropriate Prescribing to Older Patients by Nurse Practitioners and Primary Care Physicians The article, which seems to call for an expansion of unsupervised practice for NPs, contends that NPs and physicians showed no di...

Three years ago, we aired a podcast criticizing Doctors' Day posts from hospitals and healthcare organizations that included non-physicians and referred to physicians as 'providers.'  Fast-forward to today, and some organizations (but not all!) seem to have gotten the message. Happy Doctors' Day to all physicians - thank you for your sacrifice and dedication to patient care! Ph...

John Canion is an experienced nurse practitioner working within nursing for years to improve NP education. Frustrated with the lack of positive change from NP leadership, he penned the "2023 Report on Nurse Practitioner Education and the Need for Change," which outlines the current state of NP education and proposes solutions that harken back to the original days of NP training. Canion s...

John Canion is an experienced nurse practitioner working within nursing for years to improve NP education. Frustrated with the lack of positive change from NP leadership, he penned the "2023 Report on Nurse Practitioner Education and the Need for Change," which outlines the current state of NP education and proposes solutions that harken back to the original days of NP training. Canion s...

John Canion is an experienced nurse practitioner working within nursing for years to improve NP education. Frustrated with the lack of positive change from NP leadership, he penned the "2023 Report on Nurse Practitioner Education and the Need for Change," which outlines the current state of NP education and proposes solutions that harken back to the original days of NP training. Canion s...

In part 2 of my discussion of the Assistant Physician (AP) role, Dr. Keith Frederick meets Dr. Liz Troilo, who benefited from his legislation. After working as an AP, Dr. Troilo matched into residency and now provides critical access care as a Family physician in Missouri.  Dr. Frederick proposes a possible alternate pathway to independent practice for physicians other than formal residency traini...

Emergency physician Dr. Amish Shah has served the Arizona State House for the last five years and is now running for U.S. Congress. In this special bonus episode, Dr. Shah explains why he entered into politics, the work he has done to support the practice of medicine, and why physicians should donate to his campaign. Learn more / contribute to Dr. Shah's campaign here: https://www.amishforari...

There is no doubt that America is facing a physician shortage, due in large part to a lack of residency positions, the mandatory 1-3 years that medical school graduates must complete to receive a license to practice medicine. Today we are talking about a proposed solution to this problem—a new professional designation for unmatched medical school graduates called the “Assistant Physician” (AP).  I...

In July 2023, 47 year old Jenifer Cleveland, a mother of four, died after receiving treatments at a Texas medispa. We reported on this tragic story in a podcast with plastic surgeon Alina Sholar (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1475923/13329411-when-wellness-turns-deadly-patient-dies-during-npp-medspa-visit.mp3?download=true).  Today, we are discussing the aftermath of this case and efforts by Texas ph...

Malpractice insurance company CNA, along with Nurses Service Organization (NSO) has been providing malpractice coverage for nurse practitioners across the country in a variety of practice settings for the last 30 years. The organization released its first report on NP malpractice claims in 2005, and recently released its 5th report analyzing data between 2017 and 2022.  Dr. Kevin Zhang joins me to...

Nurse practitioner and Wisconsin Senator Rachael Cabral-Guevara jokes about 'missing' lobbyist Mark Grapentine's IV... and using the largest bore needle to try again. Bill co-sponsor Rep. Barbara Dittrich responds by pulling her name off the legislation. Get the books! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/ https://www.amazon.com/Impost...

There has been a dramatic rise in the number of clinics offering intravenous infusions of fluids and vitamins to treat an array of conditions and for a supposed wellness benefit. But do these treatments actually work? To discuss the risks and benefits of IV infusions outside of a traditional medical setting I am joined by nephrologist Dr. Christin Giordano.  Get the new book! https://www.amazon.co...

Interventional cardiologist Dan Sraow, MD, FACC discusses the election of a nurse rather than a physician to lead the American College of Cardiology (ACC), as well as the risks of non-physicians performing cardiac interventions. PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

There is no doubt that America is facing a physician shortage, due in large part to a lack of residency positions, the mandatory 1-3 years that medical school graduates must complete to receive a license to practice medicine. To alleviate this shortage, some states have a new professional designation for unmatched medical school graduates called 'assistant physician' or 'graduate ph...

Louisiana physicians discuss their successful effort to block scope of practice expansion in the state. PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

In 2023, three nurse practitioners sued the state of California for the right to call themselves 'doctors' in a clinical setting. Bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, discusses the ethics of titles in healthcare. Dr. Caplan's article -  https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/994536 Get the book Patients at Risk and Imposter Doctors ! PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

At 39 years old, Hasina Hafiz wanted a physician to oversee her pregnancy and delivery. However, the only clinic in the area that accepted her insurance refused, allowing only CNM/ WHNP care.  Retired OB/GYN John Lafferty, MD discusses complications that can occur during pregnancy and delivery, and why team-based care should always be led by a physician. PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Jacqui O'Kane, DO was fulfilling the promise of Family Medicine, providing expert physician care to rural residents of Georgia.  Burned out from overwork and support staff challenges, she decided to leave hospital employment. But instead of allowing her to open her own direct primary care practice, the hospital enforced a 50-mile radius noncompete contract, limiting patient access to care. Li...

Sara O'Heron, MD discusses changes in the education and training of NPs and PAs over her 35-year career. Learn more at PatientsAtRisk.com Get the new book, Imposter Doctors, available in paperback, eBook and Audible: https://www.amazon.com/Imposter-Doctors-Patients-at-Risk-ebook/dp/B0C4J3P3Z1/ PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Plastic surgeon Alina Sholar, MD discusses the risks and dangers associated with non-physician supervised medspa medical procedures.  Get the new book! https://www.amazon.com/Imposter-Doctors-Patients-at-Risk/dp/1627344438/ Join PPP: PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Employment attorney Dennis Hursh, Esq advises physicians on best practices for a fair employment contract. Mr. Hursh is the owner of Physicians Agreements Health Law and the author of The Final Hurdle: A Physician's Guide to Negotiating a Fair Employment Agreement https://www.amazon.com/Final-Hurdle-Physicians-Negotiating-Employment-ebook/dp/B07R596D28/ Contact him at https://pahealthlaw.com/...

Lead author Andrew W. Phillips, MD, MEd, joins me to discuss the brand new study 'Effects of Non-physician Practitioners on Emergency Medicine Physician Resident Education,' the first study to evaluate the impact of NPPs on EM resident physicians. Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9g14r2jx Journal Western Journal of Emergency Medicine: Integrating Emergency Care with Population...

Hear details about the new book, Imposter Doctors: Patients at Risk, available NOW at Amazon and Barnes and Noble . PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org