Every Michigan patient expects—and deserves—physician-led care.

When you go to “see the doctor” that’s exactly what you expect—to see the doctor, or, at the very least, be able to see one. Every patient expects that a physician will be there to lead their care team.

It’s a reasonable expectation, but across the country it is quickly becoming the exception rather than the rule.

Why? Because with greater and greater frequency, big corporations are squeezing physicians out of medical care teams, costing patients time, money and peace of mind in the process.

Why? Because it makes them money. Michigan patients deserve better. Your loved ones deserve better. We all deserve physicians at the helm, steering care teams towards the best and safest outcomes.

The data is clear
No physicians = worse outcomes

“NPs use more medical resources, incur higher costs and achieve worse patient outcomes relative to physicians.” -NBER working paper

Countless independent, peer-reviewed studies have shown that care led by non-physicians needlessly costs patients their time, money, and peace of mind—all while jeopardizing patient health.

Time

  • Nonphysicians increase patient stay in the emergency department by 11% compared to physicians.

  • From 2003-2015, skeletal x-ray ordering by non-physician providers increased by 441%.

  • Meanwhile, it decreased by 34% among primary care physicians over the same period.

  • From 2001 to 2008 the number of U.S. emergency department visits associated with CT that were managed solely by nonphysician health care providers increased more than sixfold (616%).

Money

  • Patients managed by non-physicians pay up to $119 more out-of-pocket per month.

  • Nonphysicians increase the cost of emergency department care by 7% compared to physicians.

Peace of Mind

  • Nonphysicians are 20 times more likely to overprescribe opioids.

  • 95% of U.S. voters agree that physicians should be involved in medical diagnoses and treatment.

  • Minimum education and training requirements:

    • Physician: four-year undergraduate degree, four-year medical degree, 3 years of

      residency, 15,000 clinical hours

    • PA: four-year degree, 27-month program, 2,000 clinical hours

    • NP: online program with no prerequisite training requirements, 500 clinical hours

Michigan must learn from the mistakes other states have made in expanding the scope of practice of nonphysician providers. There are just too many examples, and too much data demonstrating, that practitioners with less education and training have too many bad outcomes that potentially harm patients for the rest of their lives.