Patients at Risk

In part 2 of this discussion with emergency physicians Dr. Robert McNamara and Dr. Mitch Li, we learn about the dangers that patients face due to the takeover of private equity in healthcare. Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practitioner-Physician-Healthcare/dp/1627343164/ PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

When you are taken by ambulance to the nearest emergency department, you are completely vulnerable. This is not the time when you can research or negotiate prices. With the corporate takeover of hospitals, bills for emergency services have skyrocketed. Patients often receive enormous bills that can sometimes even bankrupt them. These corporate systems are also taking advantage of physicians, and i...

In recent years, there has been a massive increase in medical practitioners offering hormone therapy to patients. Since insurance doesn’t cover these treatments other than for very specific medical conditions, most patients end up paying cash, leading to big profits.  These treatments are usually promoted as “wellness” products, intended to make patients feel younger, stronger, thinner, and just a...

Hospital organizations are increasingly replacing physicians with nurse practitioners and physician assistants who act as "hospitalists." John Chamberlain, the board chairman of Citizen Health and a former hospital CEO, discusses his wife's hospital stay, during which her care was supervised by a nurse practitioner. We also discuss the increasing corportization of health care and th...

In December, Patients at Risk aired two podcasts in which we discussed the case of Gerald “Jay” Baltz, a psychiatric nurse practitioner who was under investigation by the California board of nursing for engaging in an inappropriate sexual relationship and providing questionable treatment to a patient who subsequently took her own life.  While we did not provide any identifying details at that time...

 In our book, we discuss the case of Alexus Ochoa, a healthy 19 yr old woman who died when a nurse practitioner failed to properly diagnose her. What is particularly worrisome about this case is that when Alexus was taken to the emergency room by ambulance, the only medical practitioner working there was a nurse practitioner.  Unfortunately, this situation is occurring in hospitals across the coun...

Nearly half the states in the Union have legislated the unsupervised practice of medicine by nurse practitioners and currently, one state allows physician assistants to practice without physician supervision. This legislative season we are seeing bills to allow independent practice for nurse practitioners and physician assistants in multiple states that do not currently allow the practice. Today w...

 In our previous podcasts, we have focused on the differences in scope of practice between physicians and nurse practitioners. But other medical practitioners are also wading into the diagnosis and treatment of conditions that have previously been the domain of physicians.  Today we are going to discuss care provided by chiropractors, specifically when chiropractors step outside of their tradition...

After the brain, the human eye is the most complicated organ in the body.  It is for this reason that a graduating doctor must spend at least another four more years after medical school to become an ophthalmologist. Unfortunately, some states are passing laws that allow optometrists to provide eye treatments that they aren’t qualified to do, and this can put patients at risk. Today, we are joined...

Dr. Toni Manougian has done it all.  Starting as an RN diploma graduate, Dr. Manougian obtained her bachelor's in nursing, followed by a master's degree as a clinical nurse specialist and then a degree as a critical care nurse practitioner, become deciding to become a physician.   Dr. Manougian explains the differences in training between the professions and tells aspiring physicians tha...

Jennifer Bryan, MD, a family physician and the chair of the Board of Trustees of the Mississippi State Medical Association,  discusses how her state created a coalition to block nurse practitioner scope expansion. PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org

Patrice Little DNP discusses limitations in nurse practitioner education and explains why she created a platform to better prepare NP students.  Doctor of Nurse Practice Little shares that while she wrote her scholarly project on "full practice authority" for NPs, she realized that many NPs who prioritize patient safety - herself included - don't want independent practice. Patrice L...

Many advocates of nonphysician practice argue that we need to allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to practice independently because of a “provider” shortage.  The mantra “access” seems to supersede all other arguments – including concerns over patient safety.  But is ‘access’ really all it’s cracked up to be?  The answer is no, and here is why. A 2018 Lancet study analyzing 137 coun...

Health policy experts note that there is a shortage of registered nurses across the nation and that 11 million nurses are needed to avoid a future shortage. [i] A lack of nurses puts patients at risk, with a 2002 report by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations noting that “inadequate nurse staffing has been a factor in 24 percent of the 1,609 cases involving patient dea...

On September 29, 2020, the state of California passed AB 890, a bill allowing nurse practitioners the right to practice without physician supervision. The bill received widespread support from groups that benefit from the use of non-physician practitioners, including hospitals and community health centers. Despite opposition from physicians and other patient advocates, the bill was passed with lar...

In April 2020, Beaumont Health, Michigan’s largest healthcare system, made the decision to terminate its established anesthesia group in favor of Texas-based NorthStar Anesthesia, a private equity firm that promised the health system lower staffing costs.  According to reports, more than a dozen physicians and surgeons resigned from the hospital system due to concerns over NorthStar’s reputation....

In our last episode we discussed the rapid growth of nurse practitioner training programs and some of the challenges this has caused in ensuring that nurse practitioner graduates receive adequate clinical training to care for patients. Today we continue to explore concerns about nurse practitioner quality of education, as well as a new trend for nurse practitioners to seek work in cash-pay type pr...

There are over 400 nurse practitioner schools in the United States, with nearly HALF of these programs promoting online training—ranging from 50-100% of required academic training sessions. Some of these programs offer accelerated training, allowing students to become an NP in as little as 2 years, others offer flexible schedules with part-time programs allowing students to work full-time while th...

The pathway to becoming a licensed physician in the United States requires nine to eleven years of formal education, and all physicians are required to pass a series of three high stakes standardized examinations called the United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) before they can be licensed as to practice medicine. Most physicians also go on to become board-certified in their specialty...

Psychiatrist Torie Shatzmiller Sepah MD discusses her experiences as a chief psychiatrist at the California Department of Corrections, and her role in the "Golding Report," a whistleblower report by Michael Golding MD that alleges improper psychiatric care of inmates. Complete report here:  https://www.scribd.com/document/392536943/Dr-Michael-Golding-California-prison-report-on-mental-he...

Dr. Torie Shatzmiller Sepah, a practicing psychiatrist, discusses the differences between psychologists and psychiatrists, and the increasing trend of allowing psychologists to prescribe medications. Get the book Patients at Risk: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08M9YJQR3/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0 To learn more about cognitive behavioral therapy, Dr. Sepah recommends the book "Thought...

Corinthia Davidson-French shares the story of her son's missed diagnosis of aplastic anemia after multiple visits to an FNP at the local clinic. We also discuss racial disparities in the healthcare system, and what patients can do to advocate for their own medical care. Learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor at: BeTheMatch.org. Get the book! https://www.amazon.com/Patients-Risk-Practit...

Gerald "Jay" Baltz, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who is being investigated by the California Board of Nursing for an inappropriate sexual relationship with a patient who later took her own life, received his training at an online program that required a minimum of 500 clinical hours of experience for graduation.  Baltz continues to provide psychiatry care to patients in...

Gerald "Jay" Baltz, a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner, was investigated by the California Board of Nursing after allegations that he had entered into a sexual relationship with a patient who subsequently took her own life.  The Board received this information in April of 2018, began its investigation, and filed a claim against Baltz on June 15, 2020. Today, six months later,...

Dr. Robin Rose, a family physician who trained as a nurse and then nurse practitioner discusses the differences in education and training between the medical disciplines. Dr. Rose, who lives on an isolated island in Hawaii, describes challenges in obtaining physician-led care, especially for vulnerable populations living in medically underserved areas. PhysiciansForPatientProtection.org