AAFP objects to VA's interim rule permitting midlevels to practice unsupervised
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AAFP Sees Harms to Team-based Care in VA Interim Final Rule
The AAFP and other medical societies this month urged the Department of Veterans Affairs to rescind an interim final rule that would decrease the standard of care for U.S. veterans.
Good to see that the American Academy of Family Physicians is also taking a stand against the VA's Interim Final Rule allowing "virtually all VHA-employed non-physician providers (NPPs) to practice without the clinical supervision of physicians and without regard to state scope of practice law." The AAFP response aptly notes that "with more than 10,000 hours of clinical experience, physicians are uniquely qualified to lead health care teams. By contrast, nurse practitioners must complete only two to three years of graduate-level education and 500-720 hours of clinical training. Physician-assistant programs are two years in length and require 2,000 hours of clinical care."