VA Proposes Allowing Nurse Practitioners to See Patients

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Melinda Beck, The Nurse Will See You Now; With doctors in short supply, bid to loosen treatment rules at VHA draws fire. Wall Street Journal, Jan 27, 2014.
online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB20001424052702304856504579340603947983912

Quote:

(a) “The Veterans Health Administration is taking heavy fire from doctor groups over a proposal to let nurses with advanced training practice medicine without physician supervision throughout the VHA system—even in states where laws require more oversight.

(b) “The nurse-anesthetist group cites a 2010 study in [journal] Health Affairs that found no difference in patient outcomes whether anesthesia was administered by a physician or a nurse anesthetist, with or without supervision. A 2010 analysis in Nursing Economics found that nurse anesthetists working independently are the most cost-effective model for anesthesia delivery.

“Physician anesthesiologists ranked sixth in average income among medical specialists in 2013, according to Medscape's annual physician-compensation report. Nurse anesthetists typically make far less than their physician counterparts, their association says. In some surgical settings, anesthesiologists supervise as many as four nurse anesthetists at a time and collect 50% of their fees.

“VA Secretary Eric Shinseki—who credits a nurse with saving his foot when physicians wanted to amputate it in Vietnam—defended the proposed change in a letter last fall

My comment:
(a) There is no need to read the rest.
(b) Responsible for medical care of veterans, Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is a branch of US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
(c) In print but not online is a chart:

“Cost-Benefit Analysis
Nurse anesthetists and physician anesthesiologist perform many of the same services in hospital settings, but their training differs.

…………………………………………...Nurse Anesthetists………………...Physician Anesthesiologists
Total Practicing in the US……..36,000…………………………………..40,000
Average Annual Income……….$170,000………………………………..$336,000
Minimum Education……………..BA,1 year acute-care nursing,...BA, 4 years medical school,
…………………………………………...2-3 years anesthesia training….4 years residency
Average Cost of Education…..$161,809…………………………………$1,083, 785

Source: Nursing Economics